Darkness Rising
by Chibi Nataku
Summary: COMPLETE! SephxCloud yaoi pairing Cloud made a deal with Hades to search for someone, but he may have taken off a bit more than he expected. There are some in the world that wish to control him for more than his fighting ability!
1. Prologue to Darkness

Darkness Rising  
  
By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
WARNING: This first chapter contains a bits of information about the features of the Underworld, and I have melded it as best I could with the movie and the game. A lot of the features are from Greek and Roman myth and I hope that I have done them justice in my interpretation. I would like to thank my best friend, Usagi Vindaloo, for happily contributing all the myth information to me. Please enjoy.  
  
Prologue to Darkness  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The darkness seemed to feed off of the misery of any who treaded in its path. The Realm of the Underworld had always been filled with both darkness and misery. The moans of those who mourned over their own deaths echoed in the endless plains and throughout the dark twisted corridors of Hades' palace, slipping from shadow to shadow that twisted the great black walls into the lonely place that it was. The darkness bore witness to the endless line of groaning souls on their path towards their final destination, ever watchful of those select few that strayed much too close to its murky depths, never to reach their intended target. For in darkness, there was never any light allowed to escape. Everything eventually returned to the darkness no matter how strong their hearts to resist its almost tender pull.  
  
Over the great plains who soil was grey and lifeless, those who could find no rest moved listlessly. The plains are endless, stretching out in all directions without boundaries and limitations to its vast landscape, yet to any that had managed to enter the Underworld, there was a great black wall with gates that kept any outside of the gates in their place and those on the inside within. Yet, the mist that covered over the plains hid these features, making the plains seem more endless and inescapably dominant. Five rivers cut like a knife through the landscape, features that required more punishment for those who were deserving of an increase of Hades' attention. Of these rivers, Lithe, river of forgetfulness, and Phelegthon, the river of blood, were the most predominant and well-noted. Off in the distance, there stood the hill of Sisyphus wallowed in misery of its own, doomed to a constantly repeated action that only seemed to enforce the sheer boredom that came with the Underworld. Closer to Hades' palace at the intersection of the two great rivers were three features that seemed to amuse Hades the most; the flaming wheel of Ixion, the pond of Tantalus and the chair of Pirithous set in between them, all three features a stern warning to those that wish to cross the gods in a displeasing manner.  
  
Of course, the lone mountain in the entire Underworld belonged to Hades' palace, its vast corridors snaking in and out of the black stone. Some of the surfaces were smooth with well-defined depictions of the gods while others were created with such jagged impatience that it appeared that the walls themselves were closing in. The palace was enormous, too large for one individual to live in, though its features certainly allowed the said occupant to remain in solitude. The halls led in all directions, and dipped and dodged as if escaping some unknown foe. Yet, the halls seemed to lead themselves in a manner that is desirable, the largest one wandering to the main features of the rock fortress. In the very center of the palace, there was a pool, not filled with water; rather, it was filled with the souls that Hades placed there for more torment, the individuals that had managed to displease him the most and were more mindful of their long-lasting torment. Skittering off sharply to the left, the hall opened into a vast room filled with more gold, precious jewels, and valuable treasure than any could truly desire, all of it untouched and neatly stacked. Slithering to the right, a hallway kept deep into the stone, winding around the pool of the tormented until it reached a prison, mostly empty save for a few poor individuals that had wandering into Hades' territory and capture his interest. The last of the main hallways was up, the pathway broken off for an extent in order to prevent anyone to travel it; its destination was the throne room of Hades, and he was not one to enjoy visitors.  
  
Yet, in the twists halls, the darkness seemed to rule more now. Before, only the cliffs with treacherous, broken old stairways that often lead to no where at all, seemed to hold the echoes of the now swimming dead. Scorched black rock that was much too uneven to really be a true path told of many who attempted to escape their fate of unliving. The walls were smooth as they jutted from the floor at often odd angles, rock of more grey than black, except where the shadows danced. In this place, there were only the colours of despair, except for the small pillars of occasional blue flame that doused the rock a sickening shade of navy. Still, the lighting of the corridors seemed to hold no claim nor did it affect the shadows that lurked on the walls, its long black tendrils always looking for its next helpless victim.  
  
Within that mighty Halls of the Underworld, only one creature held any control over this place and that was a god, Hades. He had ruled over this place since the dawn of time, and he often associated with those that would lead, ultimately, to more despair for his realm. It seemed that only he had some control over the shadows, which never once lay an inky hand on him even if he chose to walk through their depths, as he did on this day.  
  
Hades was a more slender god, his robes a deep grey, almost black, that clipped to his left shoulder with a skull motif, a symbol of his godhood hung around him. The robes were simple, flowing around his frame until it reached the floor, always seemly one step ahead of the god. His skin reflected the colour of the flame that he had placed over his kingdom, a sickly bluish grey that only touched on the time that the God of the Underworld had remained in his blackened realm. Where skin was sickly, his hair was something of an oddity, blue flames that often changed colour to match his mood. His hair stood straight up, as flames often do, and accented a long slender face that seemed to always be calculated his next move in the game of godhood. His eyes were deeply set in his skull, sunken, yellowed, and hollow in a manner that only explained constant strain and lack of sleep, even though a god never required such. However, the large toothy grin that marked his almost elegant features indicated that his mood was a good one on this day. His mind was toying over the stray thoughts that no one else bothered to really think about until it really required their attention. However, Hades was always thinking, always plotting, always wanting more control.  
  
He hummed a soft, catchy tune as he walked, clawed fingers weaving together as his mind moved from one matter to the next. He really did not have to think about where his feet were leading him; rather, he allowed his grin to become larger as the moans of the dead that echoed around him were muffled out by the loud, furious scream from other parts of his realm, screams that had been repeating themselves for several days, a sweet sound that he really just couldn't get over liking as much as he did. He rather enjoyed hearing those screams, so alive with determination and built up anger.  
  
Hades stopped to listen to his newest addition's shouts, enjoying how they echoed off of all the walls in a manner that no other could achieve. The newest addition certainly had a good set of vocal cords, having been screaming and shouting longer than Hades had really thought possible for a mere mortal with absolutely no real power aside from a pretty sturdy fighting prowess. Even after the young man had been long defeated, Hades had been amused by the fact that the fighting spirit of a determined man never once faltered. He had spent hours watching the young warrior fight to remove the shackles that now held him, often slipping in a comment to see just how long the man would snarl and curse at him. This young man had gained his interest, and he wanted to see just how this fighter would do if he were released upon Hercules. It was an idea that had been growing in his mind the more he listened to the blood-curdling rage that made his walls shake.  
  
Eventually, he started to walk again, sighing in contentment as another angered shout reached his ears. He slipped down the corridor to the right, running his clawed fingers over the jagged rocks as he wandered down towards his prison, wanting to have his moment of tormenting a truly struggling soul. His grin only spread wider in amusement as a holler of indecent obscenities was screamed out by his lively prisoner. This young man was the most fun he had in his prisons for longer than he could really remember.  
  
Hades took his time wandering in front of his shrieking prisoner, a cocky grin pulling all too fondly at his lips. He felt himself rock back slightly on his feet at the blonde caught sight of him and newly invented expletives were shouted at him. Casually, he leaned against the creaking laced metal door, taking to staring intently at his fingernails until his little prisoner had managed to run himself out of creative wording for a few minutes. He smiled and waved as if they were old friends. "Hey there, how's it going? The service isn't too bad down here, is it?"  
  
He felt his flaming hair fly backwards as his blonde prisoner launched back into a fit of anger, the young man's words barely recognizable in his fury. Hades nodded his head as if he were taking mental notes, eventually crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. After a few more minutes, he held his hands up and now attempted to get the blonde to quiet himself. "Okay, okay, okay, I get the point. Loud and clear, spiky." At the blonde snarl of rage and the opening of his mouth again, Hades finally snapped his fingers, stealing away the young man's voice. "I've had enough of your potty-mouth, young man. If you weren't so irritatingly cute, I would have set you out with the rest of the stiffs in this place." Hades opened the door to the cell and stepped inside, closing the door behind himself again. "Now, if I give you back your voice, will you pretend to be a good puppy? Sure hope you're paper trained because the last thing I need is to be cleaning up your mess and swatting you with a rolled up paper."  
  
Cloud Strife snarled and threw himself at Hades, baring his teeth in anger when the shackles around his wrists held him just out of striking distance. Had his legs been free, he would have knocked Hades over with his feet, but he could not so he instead backed off and paced again like a wild animal. He hated to be locked up, almost as much as he hated being tricked by a god such as Hades. He glared continuously at the God of the Underworld, occasionally snarling and grinding his teeth together.  
  
Hades smirked and leaned back against the metal door, crossing his arms once again. "Geez, you're wound tighter than Hera after finding out another woman had been knocked up thanks to Zeus." He shivered briefly as he thought of the goddess's rage and 'pranks' of punishment. Now that was one Goddess that really needed to be locked up somewhere or at least given anger management classes.  
  
Still, he turned his attention back to the angry blonde, calling up all the information that he had managed to gather on the young man. He smirked as a bland file folder appeared in a 'poof' of green smoke, casually opening to reveal the contents. His eyes passed over the information, occasionally glancing up in inspection. Finally, he cleared his throat and tucked the folder under one of his arms. "Hmm, supposedly you can keep your temper better than you have been. According to my information, you are usually cool and calm under most situations, meaning that you've either developed a serious chip on your shoulder or there is something wrong with you in the head...and what a spiky head it is. Is that natural?"  
  
Cloud rolled his eyes and continued to pace, glancing down at his own appearance. His long battles to get through the Underworld had taken their toll on him. His dark blue clothing was ripped and shredded, exposing more of his bruised and blooded flesh than he would have liked. The metal shoulder pad that had once protected his left shoulder had been torn away and lost somewhere in the bowls of the dark corridors of Hades' palace. Of what remained of his deep leather boots was enough to keep them clinging by sheer force of will to his flesh. He was certain that it was the blood that dried to his flesh that kept most of the clothing on his body. His wounds only added to his dishevelled appearance, long claw scratches covering most of his exposed flesh. Where there were not deep gouges and razor-like cuts, dark bruises covered the remaining portions of his body. Of all of his injuries, it had been the loss of his left hand to one of the maws of Cerebus that caused him the most pain and anger. Despite this, it appeared that at least his wild blonde spikes of hair were still in order and remained where it should be. Really, it was no comfort to him.  
  
Hades sighed and squinted at the young man, cocking his head to different angles until he final took a few steps closer. He was not surprised when the blonde flew at him the moment he stepped into range, reaching around the young warrior's back to seize the winged creature that appeared to be whispering and shoving the blonde forward. He belted the blonde backwards and walked back out of the warrior's attack range, inspecting the Fury in his hand. "Riiiight, you. Go and harass someone else. I have use of this little sinner." He released his hold on the small winged spirit's leg and 'shooed it away, turning back to regard the blonde as Cloud collapsed to the ground. "Well, that takes care of one of your mental problems. Sorry about him...it. They do their job well, but when you really need to have a civil conversation with a prisoner of yours...Geez, they never did like the fifteen minute coffee-break rule."  
  
Cloud shuddered in cold as all of his emotions drained away until he began to feel normal again. He had never felt rage like that before, and he really wished to never feel it again. He could no longer force himself to his feet, instead falling backwards to lean heavily on the mildew-rich wall at his back, wincing in pain as one of his wounds brushed against the uneven surface. Now that his mind was clear again, he could feel the pain in his body, all the wounds of his battles hitting him full-force, nearly rendering him unconscious. With a clear mind, he could now attempt to make sense of things around him. He squinted up at the God of the Underworld, groaning in sheer exhaustion with the effort it took just to remain conscious. Eventually, he gave up trying and lay quietly, waiting for Hades to speak to him.  
  
"Well, you sure lose your potty-mouth when you aren't encouraged into blinding rage by a Fury. This means that I can actually talk to you." Hades smiled cruelly and tapped his fingers together. "You must be wondering why you are still alive down here. You know, with the loss of a hand and all that, right?"  
  
Slowly, Cloud nodded, only vaguely aware of the words that danced over his pain-clouded mind. The edges of his vision began to darken around him, his eyes slowly closing.  
  
Hades chuckled. "That's an excellent question, despite the fact that you didn't really ask it...Anyway, you're a pretty good-looking kid. Not only that, but you seem pretty reasonable at swinging around that large chuck of metal you call a sword. So, because you are not in the frame of mind to resist me, why don't we make a bit of a deal for your freedom, hm?" Hades took a few steps forward and nudged the remnants of the blonde's boot to make sure that he was still awake. When the blonde failed to respond, he sighed in frustration and shook his head. "What I need to do to actually find good help around here...Panic! Pain! Get in here!"  
  
Hades inspected his finger nails for a few seconds before looking up as the short green demon slipped inside. He rolled his eyes when the little winged demon was not followed. "Where is Pain?"  
  
"Um...well, you see...um..." Panic stuttered before finally falling silent.  
  
Hades had to resist the urge to strangle the little beast if only for his own amusement. "Alright, alright, never mind where Pain is. You are good enough...let's hope." He grabbed one of the little demon's wings and thrust it out in the unconscious blonde's direction. "See him?" He shook Panic when he received no response until the slender demon nodded its head vigorously. "Good, now I want him alive and in better health than I will leave him in, meaning conscious and not bleeding all over my floors, meaning....?"  
  
Panic looked between the blonde on the floor and Hades behind him. "Um...you want me to...uh?" When Hades' hair began to shift to a red colour, Panic quickly floundered for something to actually say. "Clean him up, make him all better? You want me to play doctor?"  
  
Hades forced himself to take deep breaths and not explode in anger. "No, you will not be playing doctor. You will be a doctor. I want this one alive long enough for me to make a deal with him and, for me to make a deal with him, he has to be awake. You had better make him well enough to wake up, got it?"  
  
"Right, boss! I'm onto it like Furies on a sinner!" Panic allowed a toothy grin to spread across its features, resisting the urge to chuckle at its own simile. It quickly noted that Hades did not share its mirth. "All clear, boss. He'll be good as new."  
  
Hades released his hold on the lithe demon, rolling his eyes as Panic managed to fall helplessly to the floor. "All I ask is good help...and THIS is all I get. Why? What have I done to deserve this...well, aside from making several attempts against that dolt Hercules and trying to over-throw Zeus...I mean, aside from that, what have I done?"  
  
Panic dusted itself off and lifted a finger in the air. "There was the whole 'allying with the darkness and attempting to take over the world through the use of the Heartless' thingy."  
  
"Well...that too." Hades chuckled and brushed his hands over his robes, amused with his plans. He looked down at Panic and edged a foot towards the creature, an indication that it should get to work fixing up the unconscious blonde. "Oh and Panic?" The creature looked up at him innocently. "We all know the penalty for failure, right? I need not remind you that I will destroy you if you fail to save him. It will take too much time and energy to think of a reason to bring his soul back so...don't fail, for your own sake." He flashed his own toothy grin to insinuate his point.  
  
Panic swallowed the quickly gathering lump in its throat, nodding resolutely before scurrying towards the spiky blonde. It set to work immediately, if only to assure itself that Hades was not going to destroy it if it put in enough effort in at the task at hand.  
  
Hades left the cell as soon as his point was made, walking back up the darkened pathway until he reached the intersection of the three main hallways, stopping to think about what he could do now that Cloud would be out of it for a while. He crossed his arms across his chest and tapped his fingers on his arm, shifting around stray thoughts. He really did not have to wait long for more pressing matters to turn up as Pain came crashing down from the direction of his throne room, whimpering uselessly. Hades rolled his eyes and shook his head, again wondering why he couldn't just have his way for once.  
  
"Where have you been? I did call you awhile back, and you failed to show up. I am not pleased with you...again!" Hades stooped to seize the pudgy demon, stopping when he noted the various bruises and odd cut marks on the maroon demon's hide. He slowly stood again. "What the hell happened to you? No one is allowed to beat on you except me."  
  
Pain staggered to its feet, grabbing hold of its tail nervously. Its gaze shifted around the shadows as it bit down on its lip before looking up at Hades again when it thought that the coast was clear. "Um...you see...there's this...guy in your throne room. He insists on seeing you and...well, he kind of chased me out when I refused...Uh...you gonna see him? He said he'd rend me if you didn't see him."  
  
Hades quirked an eyebrow. "And I would be so upset by that..." He sighed and looked around his corridors before looking back down at Pain. "Well, where is he? What did he look like?"  
  
"Uh...tall, wears a lot of black, big sword...?" Pain noted Hades' unimpressed look and scrambled for more details about the mysterious man. "Well, he was hiding in the shadows and uh... Hey, he had glowing aqua eyes and...I think silverish hair. Looked kind of pissed...Real serious guy..." Pain stopped when Hades began to tap a foot on the floor impatiently. "That's all."  
  
"Well, that's just swell. You named like twenty different gods and demons! I swear!" Hades let his curses die away as he turned on his heel and walked away from the cowering demon. He was now thinking that keeping the blonde around would be one of the best ideas that he had had because everyone else in his realm was almost completely useless.  
  
He reluctantly went to his throne room, wanting to be rid of the small problem that had seemed to have popped up. He threw the massive doors open, smirking when they crashed into the equally deep walls of ebony. Senseless violence never felt so good. Still, he stepped into his throne room, yellowed gaze shifting around the massive room.  
  
His throne room was sparely decorated. The room was massive in its appearance, yet all the same, very boring to look at. The dark walls stretched around him until the mist that covered the floor consumed the walls themselves, only the nearby tabards of his reign escaping the grasping wispy grey tendrils. His throne, insignificant when compared to the size of the room, perched on an uprising of the floor. It had intricate designs of skeletons etched into the smooth endless blackness that it held within it. Only his lone blue silk pillow gave any colour to the room. The large chandelier held blue flame that burned endlessly and seemed to make the mists dance to a morbid tune as they shifted around him.  
  
He approached his throne, intent on resting himself on his pillow until his uninvited guest decided to show up. How he hated having visitors. He sat quietly, staring out around his room until he heard footsteps off to his left, gaze shifting to meet the burning depths of glowing aqua eyes. He sighed in slight disinterest and rested his cheek on his hand, looking this intruder over intently despite his outward lack of concern.  
  
Just as Pain had expressed, this man wore more black than was needed, fine leather encasing a sturdy build of a warrior. The shoulder pads secured the material and only enhanced the dominant presence along with the crimson trim along portions of the fine leather. The man appeared to be in his last twenties, yet his face did not show any sign of age beyond twenty-five. The penetrating aqua gaze swirled with stony resoluteness and control, only a few emotions shifting the colour vaguely. Long silver hair trailed down the man's back, moving as feathers would in a soft breeze. In fact, the black wing tucked securely against the man's right shoulder was barely noticeable in this dank place, but it easily indicated that this man was no wandering soul who just happened to drop by for a visit. It was quickly noted the sword at the man's side that shifted in and out of view with each of his calm steps. The air of a finely-tuned warrior shifted the mists away from him, an obvious superiority complex raging through Hades' dead hall.  
  
Hades took the man's appearance in with a single glance, missing nothing that could cause him danger or the like, not that he was really worried. He merely sat comfortably on his pillow until the silver-haired man stood in front of him, noting the relaxed position the man took. It appeared this man was cocky too, something Hades could always use against a victim. He sighed and sat a bit taller when their gazes met on equal terms. "I am to assume that it was you who attacked one of my...faithful subjects and attempted to force your way into my court?"  
  
Sephiroth shifted in his place, turning himself to give Hades a nice silhouette of his features, wishing to get right down to business, not idle chit-chat. "You have something of mine. I intend to get it back so drop the act and let's talk business."  
  
Hades blinked and sighed. "Wow, that was a great opener. Tell me, do you write them yourself?"  
  
"Give me what I want, and you shall find out." Sephiroth replied coolly, his thumb running fondly over the hilt of his massive blade, Masamune. He was not in a mood to play around with the God of the Underworld, or anyone else for that matter.  
  
Hades forced himself to his feet and folded his hands behind his back. He seemed to recognize this man from somewhere; however, the time and the place had long been forgotten in his mind. Perhaps he had employed this man at one time. He let the subject drop until he had time to ponder more about them, instead turning his attention fully of the gruff man. "Well, give me your name, and I might consider finding the time to converse with you."  
  
Sephiroth glanced at the god out of the corner of his eye before finally nodding to himself. He turned to face Hades fully, feeling his coat swirl out around him. "You may call me Sephiroth. I served the Royal Guards under the reign of Ansem in his court, but that was so long ago that it no longer matters."  
  
Hades felt the information slap him like a bucket of cool water, a grin spreading across his features. "Oh you. I remember you." He stepped down from his pedestal to walk around the silver-haired warrior, inspecting him a bit more closely. "I seem to remember making a deal with you so that you would stop eating all of the other spirits. I thought I sent you away to wallow in whatever hole you dropped yourself into." Hades felt a grin spread across his face as he took a step towards the silver-haired man, wrapping an arm around the warrior's shoulders. "So, how have you been? Life treating you well again?"  
  
Sephiroth raised a hand and brushed Hades' hand off of his shoulder, taking a step away from the god to face him once more. "You have a possession of mine that I want back, now." He watched Hades raise a skeptical eyebrow in his direction and placed a smirk of his own across his features. "Give me what I want, and I won't rend your followers."  
  
"And tell me, deary Sephy...you don't mind me calling you that?" Hades did not wait for a reply, already knowing the answer quite clearly. He carried on as if Sephiroth had agreed to his question. "What is it you want, from little ol' me?" He walked back up to his throne and flopped down again. "You see, charging around my realm, threatening my followers, demanding to see me then demanding something that you apparently want...well, it's bad business, especially after I twisted the rules to bring you back from the dead. Let's face it; you aren't in any position to be making any sort of demands on me." Hades watched the silver-haired man shifted to regard him fully again. "But, for the benefit of this entire empty court, tell me what it is you desire of mine."  
  
"Cloud." Sephiroth response was firm and undenying in its intent. He decided that he should probably elaborate on his demand. "He's mine. I want him back, now."  
  
Hades blinked several times, not really expecting that kind of request. He leaned back in his chair and made as if he were scrutinizing the man's sanity. He eventually settled back into his lax position. "Well, I don't see your name on him. Besides, he was the one who wandered into my realm so as far as I'm concerned, he's fair game."  
  
Sephiroth's eyes flashed dangerously and his nearest hand settled over Masamune's firm hilt. He was not in the mood to argue with anyone for something that he had already set his claim over, and he was not one to allow any of his possessions to escape his attention for very long, especially not Cloud. "He's my property." He insisted more firmly.  
  
Hades quickly noted that Sephiroth was not actually joking. He again leaned far back in his chair, except this time, he called up a contract, one that he had made quite some time ago. He inspected its contents before smirking again, tossing the dirty piece of paper off to one side as he regarded the silver-haired warrior. "I can't do that, Sephy-boy. As your contract says, you have no hold over anything in the Underworld and, interestingly enough, you are not to return to it for so long as you have two legs to stand on and a living body beneath you. Technically, you have already breached the contract, meaning that I *could* recall everything that I have ever done for you. Please take note of this and leave while you have the chance."  
  
Sephiroth remained where he was, not impressed at all at Hades' threats against him. He instead took a step forward, calm and confident as always. He noted how Hades shifted to regard him more sombrely. "If that is true, why don't we renegotiate it? I have the time, and you are in need of real help in your pitiful little realm. I'm sure that we can come to an understanding that does not end with you losing some of your dignity." He stopped when his boots met with the beginnings of the upright, his hardened gaze squarely on Hades.  
  
Hades had trouble holding in his snickering, all too amused by this turn of events. Maybe his luck was turning around for once, though he would never admit such out loud. "You want to renegotiate?" When the silver-haired man nodded soberly, he burst into amused laughter, slapping the arm of his stone chair. "Oh, that's a good one! I haven't laughed this hard since Demeter got all pissy with me for *taking* her daughter. Oh, you crack me up, Seph!"  
  
"Very well." Sephiroth turned and began to walk away, not interested in such games. He managed to get half-way across the room before Hades stopped laughing and called him again. He slowly turned to regard the god. "If you will not give me what I want, then I will take it for myself by brute force. Hand over Cloud, renegotiate my contract, or face me killing everything in sight and walking out of your realm with Cloud over one of my shoulders."  
  
"Geez, you don't have a joking bone in your body. And I thought that Cloud was a stiff." Hades rolled his eyes and folded his hands across his lap. "Fine, fine, amuse me with your ideas of renegotiation. If I like your terms, then I might consider it."  
  
Sephiroth smirked and walked slowly back to the edge of the uprising. He shifted himself to lean on his sword, gaze moving to fix on the God of the Underworld. "I will offer you my skills to plunder the worlds as you please, and I get Cloud."  
  
Hades raised an eyebrow. "You certainly have a one-track mind. What is this kid, your lover or something?"  
  
"My possession. He is my property, an object of my affection that I enjoy watching." Sephiroth looked down at his gloved hand, wiggling his fingers as if it were the most exciting task that he had ever done. A cruel smirk pulled at his lips. "He is the only creature in this world that could kill me. He has always resisted the change of the world and struggled for his own identity of being the best in a land where no one could outclass me. I suppose you could say that he is free, like a bird if you will. I wish to clip that little bird's wings and keep him for myself, locked in a cage of my choosing." Sephiroth looked at Hades again. "He is mine. You hold no claim over him as I do. I understand all of his workings, his desires, his darkest secrets. I have studied him for long years, making movements to cage him...Then you came along and stole him from me."  
  
"You know, I really have to hire the guy that writes your speeches. Whoever he is, I want him!" Hades smirked and smoothed back his hair. "But, I see your rather abstract point. So here is what I'm going to do for you. I will make a deal with you, and we can both be happy! Sound good?"  
  
Sephiroth silently nodded, pleased with this turn of events. He slowly closed his eyes and sighed heavily, as if a sudden weight had been lifted from his chest. His claim over the blonde would continue to reign for some time.  
  
Hades stood up and paced in front of the silver-haired man, his mind thinking up ways of getting all that he wanted and much more. He was a master at tricking people, often using a play on words or pranks to get his way. He doubted that this man would be any different from the multitudes who had decided to make a deal with him. He quickly decided on his plan of action, stopping when he was standing in front of Sephiroth. "Right, I think I have something that will make us both happy little campers. What do you say to...you lending your skills and loyalty to me, getting a place to stay down here, and plenty of heartless to test your skills on until I find an unsuspecting itch in my side to release you on. Sounds great, right?"  
  
"I believe you forgot about the part where I get Cloud." Sephiroth crossed his arms across his muscled chest, glaring at the god in front of him.  
  
"Right, the spiky kid!" Hades tapped his finger together for a few seconds before dropping off into another tangent. "Tell me, is his hair naturally like that?"  
  
Sephiroth clenched his jaw and let out a long breath. "Stop prattling!"  
  
"Hey, I just wanted to know!" Hades shot back.  
  
Sephiroth really couldn't believe that he was being forced to speak so childishly over his possession. He was displeased with this and his patience was wearing thin very quickly. Still, he set his shoulders straighter and nodded stiffly. "Completely natural."  
  
Hades nodded almost happily to the information, grinning widely. He finally flopped back down into his throne and sighed comfortably. "So you want blondy, do you? Alright, you can have him; however, you may not speak a word that he can hear or place anything in regards to yourself under his touch until my contract with him is up. If you do, you will lose any rights to him what so ever, and he will remain my servant for all of time to do as I wish with him until death throws him in my soul pond. Got it?"  
  
Sephiroth stood pondering for a long while, his mind playing over all meaning of the phrasing that was set down before him. There were parts that he did not particularly like, especially the ones where he could have no physical control over Cloud nor be able to torment the blonde into action. Still, he knew that two could play the word game. "Very well, but should any creature, man or beast, make any attempts against his life or stability, I am allowed to intervene and do with them whatever I wish. And, should Cloud find me on his own, all requirements of our contract that do not allow me to communicate with him are null and void."  
  
It was Hades' turn to ponder for a few minutes before he finally nodded and created a contract, sealing the terms of their deal. He handed the cream coloured paper to Sephiroth, allowing the silver-haired man to read it over and sign it. He grinned madly when Sephiroth nodded and signed it without a word. "Well, welcome to the family! Let's hope you enjoy your stay. Please, take your time to acquaint yourself with your surroundings."  
  
Sephiroth snorted in agitation and teleported away, intent on getting his first glimpses of his property. He may not be able to speak or touch the blonde, but watching was enough to suit his tastes for now. He had time to fulfill all that he wanted, even if it took overthrowing Hades to do it.  
  
Hades sat back in his sat and looked at the contract in his hands. "One contract down, one to go. That blonde brat will be mine by the end of tomorrow. Then Hercules will be in for the biggest surprise of his life."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Wow, I bit longer than I had intended, but I suppose that is okay. I guess I just love writing Hades. I get right into his character, and he makes me laugh. Despite my like for writing Hades, most of the chapters from here on it will be more about Cloud and his point of view, or at least, so I am aiming for.  
  
Okay, for those that were a bit confused about a few names or such, here is the low down on some of those characters that Hades mentioned:  
  
Hera: Wife of Zeus who tends to get kind of pissy when Zeus can't keep it in his robes and often curses the women and their children who are produced.  
  
Demeter: Goddess of the Earth and Harvest. Her daughter, Persephone, was abducted by Hades and became his wife in Greek myth. Demeter wasn't very happy about that event and threw a bit of a fit. 


	2. Walking into the Void

Darkness Rising  
  
By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
Chapter 1 - Walking into the Void  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud sat quietly on the edge of the bed, hands folded in front of him as his gaze strayed on to the small playing child at his feet. He felt a fond smile pull at his lips and reached out to pat the smooth sandy locks of the little girl, the daughter of his now deceased friend and ally. He forced more of the smile into being when shiny aqua eyes turned to regard him and the little girl smiled warmly back at him.  
  
"Cloud, when are we going home?" The little girl asked quietly, turning herself to fully regard her caretaker. She wrapped thin arms around one of his muscled legs, resting her chin on his knee. Her bouncy gaze never left his face, but she was sad to see that the smile faltered and a pained expression slipped into its place. "We aren't going home...are we? Those black things that hurt daddy...they won't let us go home, right?"  
  
Cloud slowly nodded and clenched a silent fist. He cursed himself for being unable to save his friend from the heartless, but he had managed to fulfill his ally's final request to save his daughter. He felt his heart ache for how his life had managed to turn itself upside down without him realizing it until it was far too late to correct. Still, he reserved himself to get back his home when his wounds had healed and little girl at his feet was old enough to be on her own. He refused to allow the heartless to have his home forever, even if it took his life to get it back.  
  
He looked down at the little girl who was still watching him. She was much too perceptive for her own good at such an age but such thoughts brought another weak smile to his elegant features. "Aerith, are you hungry? I could make you something."  
  
Aerith silently shook her head, settling her cheek on the blonde's leg, refusing to release her hold on him. She had let go of her father's hand and now he was gone. She wouldn't let Cloud go because he was the only one who cared enough to storm through all of Hollow Bastion to find and rescue her.  
  
She knew little of Cloud except for the fact that he was a Royal Guard of the planet, one of the best. She remembered him always being around as she grew up, a constant partner to her father who had always been a gentle man. Cloud was like a second father to her, always taking care of her when she needed something and even baby-sitting her when he probably had much more important matters to attend to. She remembered the bedtime stories that he used to tell, but now those stories were rare. She noted that his warm smile was even rarer than his stories now days.  
  
Aerith looked up into Cloud's face again, seeing the young man in deep thought. She climbed to her feet and leaned over him, studying his features intently. She touched his cheek before looking into the oceanic depths of his eyes, emotions and untold wisdom swimming in and out of the pools. "Cloud? How come you look so young? My papa had grey hair, and he said that you were older than he was."  
  
Cloud chuckled softly and lifted the little girl on to his knee, balancing her as he considered his answer. He was not so sure that she would understand how old he really was, but he reserved himself to answer her question. "I guess its because I don't age anymore. I will look like this until the day that I die."  
  
"How come? Can I look young and pretty forever too?" Aerith asked, smiling at that thought.  
  
"Well...I don't think that you can. You should want to grow up. Sometimes, I wish that I could." Cloud lifted his hands and began to braid sandy locks in front of him, an act he had not done in quite a while. "Lord Ansem wanted his most prized Royal Guards to be able to fight for him for longer than most so..." Cloud paused and drew a deep breath, memories leaking forward. "He used a very rare spell to make certain people stop aging, like me. He didn't want us to get old and have to leave his court."  
  
Aerith glanced back at the blonde. "So, you can't get old?" She cocked her head to one side in thought when he silently shook his head at her. "Does that mean that you can't die? Will you be with me forever?"  
  
Cloud looked at the blanket beside him, closing his eyes slowly. "Oh, I can die, just not of old age. My death will come in battle, or so I hope."  
  
"But, you can't die in battle! You're the best warrior ever!" Aerith smiled and swiveled in one smooth motion so that she could look at the blonde in the face again. She giggled when he looked questionably at her. "I saw you fighting those black things! They couldn't touch you because you were so fast!" She bounced on his knee slightly, almost excited as her mind brought forth the images of the blonde's glorious battles to save her. "You even beat General Sephiroth! I saw you! You saved me from him! I saw! I saw! You are the best, Cloud! Everyone said that General Sephiroth was unbeatable, but you did it!" Aerith wrapped her arms around his neck. "You saved my life, Cloud. Please don't go away, not yet, not ever."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Aerith!" The word shot from Cloud's cool lips as his mind suddenly jarred itself back into consciousness. His eyes shifted about his current location, blinking several times in an attempt to get his gaze to focus. When he could see around him again, he sighed heavily with the fact that he was alone in the dark. "Aerith...she's safe. I left her in Traverse Town...She'll be alright."  
  
He let his head fall back against to cold stone wall behind him and checked himself over now that the aches and pains of his body demanded some attention. He noted that the bruises that had laced together had faded into sickly yellow blotches that were just as quickly disappearing. The claw marks had been reduced to small scratches, except a few that were covered over with yellowing bandages that matched in with his bruises perfectly. His muscles ached because of his upright position of sleep and long battles before he had been trapped in this cell. All of his clothing, which had not amounted to much anyway, had been removed and replaced with silky white material that covered only his waist and tied in the front.  
  
His most severe injury was his left hand, which was missing. He had lost the appendage during his battle with Cerebus, one of the dog's maws catching him off guard as he fended off the other two. It was in the loss of his hand that he had beaten the mystical creature, mostly because pain was often the only thing to make him angry. He had been furious and blind to his own pain after that, allowing him to win, but he was paying for it now that he looked at the stump where his hand would normally fit. The wound was still aggrevatingly sore, sending shooting pains up his arm and into his shoulder blade. He wondered how he was going to wield his blade properly with only one hand now.  
  
He didn't have long to wallow in self-pity before a small green creature slipped in between the bars and trotted over to him, wide toothy grin making the winged demon's nose even larger. He flicked the demon off of his leg where it decided to climb to regard him more closely. "Buzz off."  
  
"But I saved you! You should thank me! If it weren't for me, then you would be one dead man." Panic grin and wiggled its eyebrows, leaning over the blonde's wounded arm. "Ya... nothing I could do about that hand, pal. I couldn't wrestle it away from Cerebus so... you'll just have to get another one later."  
  
Cloud rolled his eyes and looked away, shifting in his position so that he could stand, quickly noting that the cold shackles that kept him in this place were still attached and holding strong. He walked a few steps to test his footing, wincing as the stone floor beneath his feet seemed cold enough to burn. He continued to ignore the little beast that was following him as he paced and stretched out his arms, forcing his muscles to relax. He wriggled in the silky cloth that he had been put into, finding the material all to restraining; it also did not cover as much of his thighs as he would have liked.  
  
Eventually, he turned to regard the small lithe demon at his feet, cobalt blue eyes searching it before he finally spoke. "How long do you plan on keeping me here? I have business that I would like to attend to." When the little demon took a few steps back, he followed with steps of his own. "I suggest you release me if you want to keep all of your parts."  
  
Panic looked around and took a few more steps back, grinning when the blonde's chains only allowed him to move a small distance. "I can't do that. The boss will be pissed if I let you out, but don't worry about it! He said that he would drop by to see you today...when he finds the time I guess." Panic edged forward a few steps when the blonde growled and retreated away again. "Hey...um...Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Only if you come in smashing distance to me." Cloud looked over his shoulder, quirking an eyebrow when the green demon did walk within reaching distance. "Fine, ask away."  
  
"Is your hair naturally like that?" Panic asked, grinning madly now.  
  
Cloud felt his shoulders slump and shook his head. If he had a munny piece from everyone that asked him that, he would be a very rich man. He swiveled gracefully on his heel to face the little demon. He leaned down towards it, letting his good hand reach out to grab it, surprised when it did not back away from him. He stopped when he could flick it away again. "Yes, my hair is naturally blonde."  
  
Panic blinked in confusion. "Hey, that's not what I meant!"  
  
Cloud smirked and stood up again, turning his back to the lithe demon. "Too bad. I answered your question now leave me alone." He walked back over to the spot where he had woken from and leaned back against the wall, silently thinking of ways of escaping this prison. He refused to stay here when there was too many questions and denials moving through his mind like the tides on the sea. He simply had to know.  
  
Briefly his gaze flicked to the demon before leaving again. Soon enough, his gaze returned and a small smile crossed his lips. He knew that this demon might not know all the answers, but the answers it did know, it was probably stupid enough to give him if he asked. He nodded to himself. "Hey, you demon, tell me something. Have you heard of a man named Sephiroth?"  
  
Panic thought for a few seconds before snapping its fingers and nodding its head vigorously. How could it have forgotten about that man? No, it could never forget, mostly because it had been that man who had nearly killed it years before. "Yup, he was a real trouble-maker or something. Kept drinking blood to keep his memories and such... of course, then he would try to kill and eat the other spirits... only got away with that one a few times before the boss got tired of him doing that. I haven't seen him around here in a long time."  
  
Cloud crouched down, all too interested in the information. "Why? Where did he go?"  
  
Panic grinned and flopped down on the floor, trying desperately to think of what its master did with the silver-haired man. Again, it snapped its fingers when the answer made itself clear to it. "Oh yeah, the boss made special arrangements! He said something about not wanting that guy around so he...uh...oh, what did he do...?"  
  
Cloud was progressively leaning more forward, but he jumped to his feet when his senses suddenly screamed that he was no longer alone with the little creature, eyes narrowing as he saw Hades looking displeased. He looked to the little demon again, hoping that its memories would serve his purpose more quickly. "Go on, what?"  
  
"Panic, what are you doing?" Hades stepped into the cool cell, gaze flicking from the blonde down to his servant. When Panic jumped at his presence, he grinned and waved a small hand. "I don't remember telling you to get all warm and fuzzy with my prisoner. Does 'fix him up' sound like 'detailed conversation' to you?"  
  
"Uh...maybe?" Panic said innocently, ducking under Hades' swatting hand. It took quick movements to flee the area as quickly as possible, hiding behind a nearby rock to watch the two men. It hid again when Hades looked back towards it and made shooing motions, quickly retreating away.  
  
Hades waited until Panic's presence vacated the area, turning back to gaze intently at his fingernails. Slowly, he raised his gaze to regard the blonde, looking over the young man's injuries. "Well Spiky, you seem to be in snoop-tastic health. So glad that you could stay in the land of the living...well, more or less the land of the...nevermind." He took a few steps forward, grinning when the blonde took steps away from him. "Hey, that outfit looks good on you. I hope it isn't too tight. The size numbers down here are all screwed up so getting anything above a petite is a bit difficult...you know, with all the dead down here and all..." Hades sighed when Cloud did not even attempt to break off a neutral expression. "Riiiight...no sense of humour. It must have slipped my mind."  
  
Cloud leaned back against the wall behind him, crossing his arms across his chest. He studied Hades for a few moments before clearing his throat. "You have answers to questions that I have. I came down here to get those answers, but you didn't appear to be in the mood to talk with me so I let myself in. Will you give me my answers now?"  
  
Hades quirked an eyebrow and chuckled softly, now pacing slowly back and forth in front of the blonde. "You know kid, I like you. You seem to have things straight, your ambitions and all, I mean. You know what you want, much like I know what I want. We're kind of similar, except for the part where I'm a god and you're...a puny mortal who I'll end up seeing at one point or another." Hades took a step towards the young man, grinning. "If you help me with one small problem, I would be more than happy to give you all your answers." He snapped his fingers, causing a contract to materialize in his hand. "All you have to do is sign this here contract."  
  
"You must think that I'm a complete idiot." Cloud replied coolly.  
  
"Well...you are blonde. I kind of assumed..." Hades took a few hasty steps back when the young man's eyes flashed dangerously and Cloud stalked towards him to the chains end. "Okay, okay, a little touchy on the whole blonde thing. We can do this a different way if you really want." Hades smoothed down the folds of his robes and smiled a toothy smile. "Come on Spiky, what do I have to do to get you to have a little trust in me?"  
  
Cloud tugged at the chains around his wrists in frustration. "I'll trust you when you let me out of these chains and answer my questions."  
  
"How about this, Blondie? You ask me one of your questions, and I'll answer it as truthfully as any god or goddess out there would and you will negotiate a nice fluffy contract with me? Sounds good, right?" Hades walked over to the blonde and wrapped an arm around the young man's naked shoulders, pulling the blonde close. He bent to whisper in the blonde's ear. "I'll even give you a free tid-bit of information. That little friend who you were asking about is no longer in a...dead state."  
  
Cloud felt all the muscles in his body tighten and his hand clench until his fingernails drew blood from his palm. How could this have happened? Why wouldn't that insane bastard just leave him alone? He forced himself to take a long deep breath, closing his eyes as if pained. In fact, all of his aches and pains seemed to heighten with this new information, making his body shudder in exhaustion. He refused to have it end like this. "Alright, why is he back from the dead?"  
  
Hades grinned and patted the blonde's shoulder. "Well, he and I had a long talk about what I had to do to...know you...make him stop attacking the other souls and drinking any source of blood that walked through the gate...gods included." He looked down at the blonde, smirking cruelly when Cloud seemed too consumed with this information. His plan was working better than expected. "See, he wasn't too happy about being dead so...he promised to stop all the killing if I would bring him back from the dead. I agreed, to keep the peace as any loving god of my realm would, and he wandered off or something."  
  
Cloud sighed heavily, his worst fears coming to life. Despite this, his fear was not for himself. He knew that he was more skilled than the former General; the fact that he had killed the madman once was proof enough of that. It was the fact that Sephiroth was a very prideful man and would probably vow vengeance upon him that made shiver jump up his spine. He was worried that Sephiroth's vengeance would fall on the heads of those who he had acquaintances with, possibly Aerith or anyone else that he had made vague contact with and could be seen as an ally. He knew that Sephiroth would most likely strike at his heart before striking at his body, and it was a fact that he dreaded the most. It appeared that his worst nightmare was attempting to swallow him up again.  
  
He tried to think of the time when it all started for him. Perhaps it had been when he had first met the General when he was a small boy during the parade. Perhaps it had been when his constant idolization of the man had ceased to exist. Perhaps it had been when Lord Ansem had noted his skills with a blade and his sheer determination to break from the mold of the other boys that desired to be just like General Sephiroth. Perhaps it had been when he resigned himself that he would only be himself. Perhaps it had been the time when he bested the General in a sparring match and refused to gloat about it.  
  
There were so many times when he could have bent to act like someone he would never be, but he had downright refused and held his head high. It had been when his mother had passed on that he was determined to be his own man. He had dropped all of the silly ideas of being a clone of the great General and decided to be an equal with the man. He forced himself to grow up and recognize his own worth and skills, honing them so sharply that he bested anyone that stepped into his path as a fighter. He refused to let such victories go to his head and remained constantly somber and respectful of his quickly rising position among the Royal Guards. He had been an honourable fighter always, but a competitive athlete that was striving to be better than anyone else.  
  
It had been a goal that he had nearly touched, but it was not to be for the General never wanted to be undermined by a spiky blonde whelp. Cloud had bested the General on his own playing field, and it was clear that such a thing desired special attention, which he had often sluffed off with a shrug of the shoulders when he was confronted. He would never bow to the whims of another. He would be himself and be proud of that. He would never be Sephiroth, and he would never want to be. He was Cloud Strife, forever and always.  
  
Cloud broke from his mussings and looked sharply at Hades, their gazes locking as he searched for silent answers. "Answer me one more thing, and I will make a deal with you like you want."  
  
Hades blinked and considered, tapping his fingers on his cheek as if in deep contemplation. He hummed and hawed for several minutes as if this decision was one that required all of his attention. Eventually, he grinned and patted the top of the blonde's head as if pleased with himself. "Sure thing, kiddo. Ask one more question and then we talk business." When Cloud opened his mouth, Hades lifted a finger. "Just one! I have an appointment with myself to stew in the darkness of my throne room that I simply cannot miss!"  
  
Cloud quirked an unimpressed eyebrow and silently shook his head. How had he managed to fall prey to this god and end up in his dungeon? Perhaps he had hit his head on his sword blade and rendered himself unconscious. He shook off Hades' arm around his shoulder and walked a few paces away. "Did Sephiroth say anything about me that would indicate that he wished vengeance on me or my comrades? Tell me that in all honesty that you can muster and I will help you get rid of your problem."  
  
Hades had to resist the urge to wriggle his fingers together and laugh evilly. Instead, he smoothed back his flaming hair. "Would I do anything less to a mortal soul who is currently in my clutches to do as I wish to whenever it suits me?" He grinned, letting all of his pointy teeth show, folding his hands behind his back as he thought of the best way to answer such a question. He began to cock his head from side to side as if trying to draw up a memory of the past. "Hmmm, I remember wondering if he dyed his hair, then something about him nearly decapitating Panic, then..." He returned to thinking silently, playing up all the drama that he could if only to amuse himself. "Oh yeah, real stiff guy, not much of a personality, good poker player but he cheats. Overly fond of preening himself."  
  
Cloud could only shake his head in slight frustration, clenching his fist tightly. Would he ever get a straight answer from the God of the Underworld? "Answer the question, Hades." He growled softly, noting how the god stopped to regard him.  
  
"Fine, fine...almost as stiff as Zeus on a good day." Hades cleared his throat and leaned back against the wall behind him. "Yeah, I remember him muttering something about how he couldn't believe that a spiky no-good could defeat him. He then said something about him holding claim over you...real creepy. Said he owned you." He grinned as the blonde's face hardened. "Geez, I wouldn't want that guy after me. I think he has some real possessive qualities that he needs looking after. I bet he wasn't held enough as a child."  
  
Hades left his post at the wall and walked over to the blonde, wrapping an arm around his shoulders again. "Now, about that deal we are going to make." He grinned when Cloud slowly looked up at him. "Here's how it will go, Blondie. You kill one person that has been a thorn in my side for too long in an upcoming tournament that I'm organizing, and I will help you track your possessive little friend down and you two can *work* out your differences. Sound good?"  
  
Cloud sighed heavily and set his jaw. He needed to find Sephiroth before the silver-haired man tracked him down, which might be any time. He refused to have Aerith and other allies pulled into his fight with the former General. If Sephiroth wanted to place a claim over him, it would be over his cold dead corpse for he would fight until death before he gave in to another. He would need help finding Sephiroth though, which was where Hades might come in handy.  
  
Slowly, Cloud nodded. "Who is it I have to kill?"  
  
"Oh, just some stupid dolt that thinks he is the biggest thing since the creation of the universe. Really, it should be no problem for you considering how far you managed to get into my realm without dying." Hades chuckled at the thought and pulled the blonde closer. "His name is Hercules, and he's kind of...one of many sons of Zeus, but really kind of...annoying to me. All you have to do is kill him."  
  
"Then you'll help me find Sephiroth?" Cloud asked softly, taking a side-ways glance at the god beside him. He had a slightly sneaking suspicion he was playing into Hades' hand. Still, a small sacrifice for information would be worth the trouble.  
  
Hades felt a sinister grin pull at his lips. "Sure thing, Spiky. I'll help you find your annoying little friend." He leaned down to whisper in the blonde's ear again. "I'll even throw in a bonus of some power and a new hand, but..." He snapped his fingers so that a contract materialized between them. "You have to sign this here contract so that we understand each other, kay?"  
  
Cloud picked the beige thick paper from the air, bringing it closer so that he could read the contents of the letter. He could find nothing that raised his suspicions about any other intentions that Hades might have for him, nor any contents that they had not agreed upon. He sighed and nodded, blinking as an ink feather appeared in his hand. Slowly, he signed his name and handed the contract back to Hades. "There, happy?"  
  
"More than you could ever fathom." Hades smirked and transported the contract to where all of the others were, filing it away for safekeeping. He turned to regard the blonde, eyes trailing up Cloud's body. "Hmm, how about a new hand since you seemed to have lost that last one. I doubt you can swing that sword of yours around with only one hand, eh?"  
  
"You'd be surprised how many people I've defeated one-handed with that sword." Cloud shifted his weight and glanced down at the white material clinging resolutely to his hips. "Real clothing would be nice though. This outfit...hinders me."  
  
Hades looked at the tight silk before raising his eyebrows. "I bet." He snapped his fingers, smiling when the chains around the blonde's wrists and ankles fell away. "Come on, Spiky, let's get you acquainted with my realm and...some new cloths for you. Just follow me...as quickly as that outfit will allow. I don't want any of my short minions to lose an eye."  
  
Cloud set his jaw and resisted the urge to walk away from the god. Stiffly, he fell in line behind Hades, keeping his glowing eyes on the cold stone beneath his feet. He shifted back and forth behind the god as he walked, gaze moving to the shadows that seemed to reach out to touch his flesh. Each time, he shifted away from those shadows suspiciously, occasionally speeding up or slowing down to avoid contact with them. He became aware that the god in front of him was noting his every movement, and he choose to ignore this, lifting his chin in defiance. He did things his own way, even if no one else understood his reasoning.  
  
Hades glanced behind himself occasionally, smiling to find the blonde increasingly edgy as they progressed further into his realm. He found his smile falter slightly as his gaze picked out a shadow trailing much too intently behind the blonde warrior, an occasional leather-clad arm snaking out as if about to seize the young man. He cleared his throat when that arm came a little too close for his comfort, smirking when it drew back into the shadows only to be replaced by narrowed glowing aqua eyes. 'You just signed your contract. Are you so willing to breech it and loss this pretty little sucker for all of eternity before you've even had a real crack at him?' Hades shot the mental thought towards the hidden warrior, almost chuckling when it seemed to retreat back a few steps and trailed more pleasantly. He didn't want to be stuck with the blonde without even trying his skills out first.  
  
Cloud had a sneaking suspicion that he was being watched, but every time he looked over his shoulder, his gaze could pick out nothing from the shadows. He kept on his guard, mostly ignoring the scenery as it changed, instead looking for any sign of attack against him. He was so intent on protecting his back that he failed to notice Hades stop when they had stepped into a small circular room, nearly running into the god's back. He managed to catch himself at the last second and step to one side to avoid the physical contact. His gaze shifted around this room as Hades closed the onyx door behind him.  
  
Compared to the other rooms in Hades' halls, it was quite small, room enough for only a handful of people. The walls were blacker than night, absorbing all of the light into its murky depths. Only the sickly green veins that laced through the stone and shimmered against the blackness gave off any luminance. The floor beneath his feet was covered in black veins that were warm under his skin, pulsating as he shifted his weight from side to side. The room was completely bare except for the black obsidian rock that jutted from the middle of the floor so suddenly that it appeared to have been created for that single look. Set upon the pedestal of endless black, encased in four pulsating veins was a large glowing crystal that shifted colour every so often. It made the room seem much colder than it actually was.  
  
Hades smirked at his gaze ran over his prize possession before turning to regard the blonde beside him. "So Spiky, how do you feel about flying?"  
  
Cloud cocked his head to the side in confusion to the sudden question. He had never flown before, except on the Gummi ships that Ansem employed. The only other flying experience that he had was when he was soaring through the air after being slammed back in a sparring match. "I haven't flown much. Ansem ratherly left Hollow Bastion until he was near the end of his reign."  
  
"Ever been air-sick?" Hades asked as he leaned down to gaze more levelly with the blonde.  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"It's terrible, take my word for it. I've never seen so many green faces in one place until the day Zeus held a chariot championship for the lesser gods. It would have been amusing if they had managed to hold down their meals on the fly-overs." Hades shuddered as the memories made themselves clearer than he had wanted to remember. He shook his head to rid himself of the images of that time. "So, how about it?"  
  
Cloud quirked an eyebrow. "You want to teach me to fly?"  
  
Hades looked the blonde over and grinned. "Well, you aren't very aerodynamic with all those spikes flying everywhere. However, you are a warrior so ramming your head into something hard probably won't make you lose anything important. If anything, I will laugh." He quickly noted the glare he received and cleared his throat while looking in another direction. Obviously trying to joke around while being completely insulting was not working on the blonde. Perhaps the warrior was smarter than he let on, though Hades highly doubted that.  
  
"Let's get this over with, shall we?" Cloud said in the least annoyed voice that he could muster, taking a purposeful step forward, gaze fixed on the glowing crystal.  
  
Hades smirked. "If you insist..." He took a few steps towards the center of the room, lifting a hand over the crystal that shifted deep blue then black. He looked over at the blonde and grinned. "Try not to struggle too much. It really is a lot easier if you sit down... though in that outfit, you may want to reconsider." He concentrated slightly, feeling the room darken considerably and the veins pulsate more vigorously.  
  
Cloud looked around the room suspiciously, shifting his weight almost nervously. He was not so sure about what he should expect to happen. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck snap to attention as the temperature of the room dropped considerably and the veins beneath his bare feet began to shift. He stepped away from the shifting veins, slowly moving towards the door of the room, gaze shifting around him as the shadows began to pull off of the walls and form strange shapes that moved in his direction.  
  
He let out a surprised gasp when his next step backwards stopped him as his leg seemed to sink into the floor up to his knee and the veins suddenly wrap around his body. His attempted to pull himself back to more solid ground, but several veins latched onto his wrists and began to burrow into his flesh. He forced himself to remain calm as his other leg sunk into the floor and the veins covering his flesh refused to allow him any movement as they seemed to consume him. Cloud glared at Hades as the strange little shadow creatures touched his arms and began to melt against him, so cold that his skin went instantly numb. "Hades! What...?!"  
  
"Like I said, try not to struggle. It only makes it worse." Hades grinned cruelly and flexed his fingers. "Just give in to the darkness like a good puppy, and it will end sooner. You have my word that things get easier from here, kiddo."  
  
Cloud would have snarled a reply had several veins not wrapped around his throat and began to slip beneath his skin painfully. He felt the blackness slip over his shoulders and begin to swallow his face. He resisted at first until he came to realize where he had felt something like this before, so long ago.  
  
The 'spell' that Lord Ansem had used on his guards felt so cold, almost painfully so. It had sucked him into forever despair as it altered what it wished in his body. In the darkness, Cloud had felt as if his heart would be ripped from his body and torn into thousands of pieces, but he had set his jaw and fought against the despair that encased his body. He had been altered, but he had remained with a free mind and heart, carefully set walls protecting him. He felt the coldness every so often running over his skin, sucking the life from his grasp, but he always pulled it back. He would never give in to such a horrible feeling.  
  
He let out a small cry of pain as the same blackness washed over his gaze, the same coldness melting into his flesh in an attempt to grab hold of his heart and squeeze. He felt like thrashing about, to scratch at his flesh in an attempt to remove the vile shadows from covering him completely, but he could none of that. He wrenched himself backwards, fighting to remain in control even as the shadows crawled through his veins, spreading to every corner of his body. He felt his body changing in a manner that his mind could not fully grasp in all of the pain that clouded him and nearly drove him to panic. Yet, he did not because he knew it would solve nothing in this predicament. He fought as though he were fighting an opponent on the battlefield, shifting his footing until the cold feeling that encased him began to fall away, the shadows that were grabbing for him melted away.  
  
Cloud took a sharp intake of breath as warm sweat slipped down his cheek and fell to the floor. His eyes slowly opened to find himself on his hands and knees on the same floor as if it had not moved at all, warmth slowly washing over his flesh. He felt his muscles trembling to hold him from slipping completely to the warm floor, his gaze snapping to his left where a new hand was in the place of the lost one.  
  
He forced himself to sit back on his haunches, gaze crawling over the new appendage as he lifted it closer to his face. The flesh was completely black up to his forearm, thin but strong muscle clinging to a previously non-existent bone. His fingers were less fleshy and more demonic looking, the last two joints on each of his fingers replaced with hard yellow claws that flexed as if he had always had the strange appendage. It felt alien to him, yet all the same, it seemed as familiar as his old hand.  
  
He struggled to wobbly legs, nearly sinking down to his knees again had Hades not set a hand on his shoulder to steady him. His glowing gaze swept over his appearance almost desperately, trying to locate any other abnormalities on his body that did not make themselves known to him. He remembered some of the changes that Ansem had told him about after the first time he had been exposed to the darkness. Aside from his hand, he appeared to be completely normal and intact, just like it had been when Ansem forced the darkness to swallow him.  
  
Hades looked the shaky blonde over with some confusion. The darkness should have done more than put on a new hand and a single demonic wing on the young warrior. He was certain that the blonde would have been completely transformed by the darkness; he had seen it done several times before using it on Cloud. He noted that the blonde was extremely taxed of energy, as if the warrior had fought a trying battle. Obviously, something must have gone wrong, and he would be sure to tell Maleficent so when he next saw her. How was he supposed to rule the world if the darkness that all Heartless stepped from couldn't even change a simple mortal over?  
  
Cloud reached a trembling hand up and pushed his sweat-soaked bangs from his eyes, gaze shifting to the side as he stretched out his shoulders. Something seemed different, something that did not feel right at all. He looked behind him and made a rather unceremonious cry as his gaze was greeted with a demonic wing resting against his flesh. Without even acknowledging his tired muscles, he shifted away, turning himself in a savage circle in an attempt to dislodge the appendage, grunting when he fell back to the floor, now staring up at the God of the Underworld. "What did you do to me?! This is not part of my contract!"  
  
Hades quirked an eyebrow at the unchecked anger in the blonde's voice, taking a step away as if to get a better look at the warrior. "I see nothing that we didn't agree on." He folded his hands behind his back when the blonde gestured to the wing. "Hey, that looks good on you. It gives a real edge to your appearance. By the way, you might want to cover yourself."  
  
Cloud growled before realizing that Hades was being serious, glancing down at himself to find that he was indeed sitting in the nude. He brought his knees up to his chest and reddened in frustration at the manner that Hades avoided his demand. "I didn't agree to this!"  
  
"Well, you didn't *not* agree to it either. Besides, you signed the contract after reading the thing about me giving you power to wield and that is just what I did. You aren't calling me a liar, are you?" Hades went to the door casually and flung it open, smirking as a grey package fell at his feet. He picked it up and threw the contents to the silently fuming blonde. "I took the liberty of getting you real clothing, just like I promised. Don't worry, Spiky, you'll get used to that new addition. I guarantee that you'll like it."  
  
Cloud looked down at the package beside him and reluctantly unwrapped the contents. He was surprised to find it to his liking as he slipped on the navy blue material, impressed that the clothing fit him perfectly. It was very much like his old uniform he thought as he fastened the belts around his waist and tightened the leather that held the new shoulder pad in place over his left shoulder. He looked himself up and down, pleased. The only part of his appearance that was met with disproval was the folded wing on his back. "I want a cloak."  
  
Hades quirked an eyebrow. "For what? To add to your already dramatic appearance?"  
  
"To hide that ugly thing. I don't want it out." Cloud stepped from the room with slow steps, allowing his muscles to relax back into holding his weight. He fixed the brown leather gloves on his hands and shifted the metal hip armour more comfortably before looking over to Hades. "You change me back once our deal is done."  
  
Hades grinned. "If that's what will make you happy, Spiky." He wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders and began directing the warrior towards his throne room. "Come on, I'll show you around so you can get started on your training."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth leaned against the onyx door where the shadows still covered him, gaze fixed on the back of the blonde following Hades away. The cruel smirk that was set across his features could not be washed away as he folded his arms across his chest. He was pleased with Cloud's new appearance, almost as pleased as he was with the thought that soon the blonde would be his property again. It was only a matter of time.  
  
"Soon my little canary. Soon, I will have you caged so I may watch your eternal struggling. Your wings are spreading wide, my little canary. Soon you will take flight from the darkness that could never capture your heart...right into my grasp where you will fly no more. The darkness can never have you because I own you." Sephiroth pushed off of the stone door and slipped up the path silently, gaze fixed on the back of the blonde, an almost pleasant smile forming on his features. "Fly high, little canary so that I may enjoy it when you crash down before me...."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
shivers Oh, I like that ending way too much. Geez, I think that I really like writing an insane Sephiroth and an overly humorous Hades. I'm not sure if Cloud is the somber middle ground between the two, but it sure is great to watch them dance around him.  
  
I suppose that I should really write a bit more of the dynamic that got Cloud and Sephiroth to this point, and I might just do that in small spurts throughout the next bunch of chapters. Probably the Kingdom Hearts game timeline will be popping up in the next chapter or two so Cloud beating up on a duck, dog, and child will commence. 


	3. Stepping from Shadow

Darkness Rising  
  
By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
Chapter 2 - Stepping from Shadows  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud sat perched on a black rock, whittling stone moving noisily as he sharpened the enormous blade in his hands. It was a mindless routine that he did when he needed to slip away from the constant stares and snickers from all of the creatures that resided in the Underworld. He simply desired some peace and quiet for some time.  
  
Luckily, he had managed to wander into a place where he now found refuge from the needling of Hades for some time. He had stumbled upon the outcropping of stone quite accidentally, but the view that allowed his eyes to stare of across the grey plains kept him returning every so often. He often perched on the one smooth black stone that was mostly hidden from view of any that happened to pass by the location, one that slipped behind the cracking walls and allowed the best view of all. The shadows in the stones never followed him to this place, his one true solitude. It was a place where his thoughts could wander to and fro as the spirits far below him did.  
  
He had already spent a week and a half training down in the Underworld. He needed to get used to the changes in his body and the appendage that clung to him closer than his shadow. He felt more strength coursing through his body, increased speed and stamina, and an increase of his old self. He found that he could take down every enemy that he had been placed against, though he was interested to know where all of his enemies wandered off to afterwards.  
  
His new hand suited him well, taking up the place as if he had never lost it at all, and he had grudgingly forced himself to take a few flying lessons from Hades. His training with a wing was far slower than his training with a blade. He had managed to get his hands on a tattered red cloak to hide the ugly appendage when he was not using it, and he admitted that his appearance with the new material suited him well. Though the material covered it well, he could not get used to the new appendage, one so much like the one General Sephiroth had sprouted after Ansem's spell. It was part of the reason that he loathed the wing so much.  
  
Before the wing's appearance on Sephiroth, the General was a proud but restrained individual who seemed secure of the fact that no creature would ever defeat him. Cloud had defeated him once in a sparring match, but they had both shook it off as a mere fluke. However, the wing brought about a vengeful edge to the General. Cloud began to feel his movements followed and Sephiroth always seemed to show up at the least expected times. The General's attention seemed to be set squarely on Cloud in a manner that made him uneasy about the whole thing, a strange desire that haunted his steps until the downfall of Hollow Bastion and the General's death. Sephiroth had been waiting for him and the smile that had crossed the General's face when he arrive to snatch Aerith away still sent shivers up Cloud's spine. He remembered that the General had said only one word to him before their battle began, a word that made him clench his fists in anger. Sephiroth had merely pointed a finger straight at him and issued the word "mine."  
  
Cloud shifted on his feet, rising from a crouched position on his obsidian rock. He tucked the whittling stone back into his pocket and began to wrap bandages around the sword's blade for the purpose of bludgeoning his enemies rather than cutting cleanly through them; it was a measure he took for practicing. Silently, he clipped the enormous blade to his back and stepped off of the rock. He pulled the collar of the blood red cloak higher on his face to better cover his expressions and turned to walk back to training.  
  
He no sooner stepped into a main hallway when Hades drifted down towards him; he considered turning and walking in the opposite direction as if he had not seen the god. He shoved that thought aside and waited for Hades the reach him. He forced his glowing gaze to the stone beneath his feet when an arrogant grin spread across the god's face at him.  
  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the very brawny warrior that I was looking for. Geez, you manage to pop up at all the right times!" Hades wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders and tugged the young warrior along with him, glancing down the height between the two of them. "Okay Spiky, I need a small, itsy-bitsy favour from you for a few hours. I have to wander off to a very important meeting with some not very important people who think that they are important, but I know better because...well, hey, I'm a god and they aren't so I technically know everything that has to do with something and..."  
  
Cloud shook his head and pulled out of the god's grasp, turning to regard Hades fully. "What do you want me to do?" He asked almost casually, not really in the mood to agree or disagree with Hades' latest rant about the god's prestige.  
  
Hades smirked and slapped the blonde on the shoulder. "Damn, I like you, right to the point in every way. It's good to have moderately decent help around here that I can train up and set loose on the masses at a later date but still find amusement with during times of a godly lull." He lifted a hand and investigated the state of his fingernails before looking at the blonde again. He delayed the silence between them for a few more seconds. "Right, I need you, my finely tuned spiky warrior...Heh, that's kind of funny. I'll have to keep that one for another time." Hades made mental note to remember as many insulting names he could think of. "Anyway, you have to come with me to my meeting."  
  
"Fine. May I ask why you need me to come along, or will it be a long-winded speech with more drop-offs than is humanly possible?" Cloud grunted when Hades slapped his back roughly while laughing deeply. He regained the footing quickly and proceeded to only lurch forward with every smack, yet he remained tolerant of the treatment.  
  
"Well, you're my newest toy! I have to show you off to the gang, and it is my godly right to gloat about how much of a good puppy you are. No paper training or obedience lessons required." Hades smirked and again wrapped his arm around the blonde's shoulders, pulling the warrior along until he grew bored walking. He straighten and tugged his robes back into place before turning to regard the blonde standing silently at his side. He reached out and brushed a few patches of dirt from the blonde's uniform. "My, puppy gets dirty fast. Bad puppy, no cookie for you."  
  
Cloud silently rolled his eyes and squared his shoulders. He quirked an eyebrow when Hades' brushes against his clothing suddenly grew into a rough tug forward until he felt his vision darken and the same black energy that had transformed him start to bite at his flesh. He forced himself to endure silently, setting his jaw and closing his eyes to concentrate of keeping his carefully constructed walls around his mind and heart securely in place.  
  
The cold did not last long and he found himself standing in a massive hall that was sparsely illuminated with emerald green fire. The floor beneath his feet was made from marbled stone, a long dark carpet stretching from one end of the room to another that was hidden in shadow. The walls at either side held long tabards with a royal emblem that he did not recognize in rich navy blue and in between each tabard was an equally tall stained glass window that was mostly covered over with the rich red curtains. The room had the same cold feeling as the circular room that Hades left the crystal in.  
  
Cloud wordlessly followed Hades towards the only five occupants of the room. He could make out little of their appearance before of the darkness of the room, but he instinctively raised a hand closer to the hilt of his sword. As far as he could tell, these individuals were powerful and gave off the distinctive feeling that they would use anything within reach to achieve their goals. As he drew closer, he began to make out general appearances.  
  
The first individual that caught his attention was a strange woman dressed in tight black and the lower body of an octopus; he found her loud laughter scrap on his nerves almost as much as her appearance hurt his glowing gaze. However, her laughter did not compare to the creature that looked more like a potato sack than a real person did, and Cloud did his best not to look in that area of the room as the creature swayed back and forth. He next came face-to-face with his first pirate, and he was somewhat disappointed with the quirky, drunkenly idiotic behaviour of the man. He had heard stories about pirates as a child, but this man with his fine clothing, curly black hair and hook did not live up to his expectations. Next to fill his gaze was an obvious foreigner to the group, tanned skin standing out almost as much as the swaying pirate beside him. He instantly felt a narrowed cold gaze fix on him and the man turn his back, giving Cloud a good look at his extravagant robes. Of course, he could not forget the woman who seemed to sink into the very darkness of the room, only her pale green flesh and calculating eyes standing out at all.  
  
Hades rounded on the blonde, covering the warrior from view. He leaned forward so that the other occupants of the room could not hear his words. "Wait right here, Blondie. I'll introduce you in a few seconds, kay?" He stood straight before suddenly bending down again. "Oh, and please don't be a bad puppy while we're here. Just stand here, don't talk to strangers, and keep that sword on your back and your pants on." Hades chuckled and turned to regard the others in the room.  
  
Cloud shifted his weight and kept his gaze on Hades' back as the god walked over to the individuals who all seemed aware of his presence. He shifted his gaze to the floor when they immersed themselves in conversation, studying the carpet under his feet. He glanced over to the shadows that shifted under the green flame, all too aware that he was probably being watched, by what, he could not tell. He did not stare long at the shadows, instead flicking his gaze over to where Hades was approaching with the woman who appeared to be the leader of this rag-tag group. His footing shifted instinctively to a defensive position.  
  
Hades stopped when he reached the blonde, smirk plainly evident. "This is the whelp...I mean, kid I was telling you about. He's got a name, but I just call him 'Spiky' or 'Blondie', sometimes 'puppy' depending on how he's acting." He gestured to the warrior's demonic hand before looking over to Maleficent.  
  
Maleficent took the young man in with a single glance, annoyed that Hades would drag his new toy to one of their meetings. She looked to the god, ignoring his silent gestures. As far as she was concerned, this man had nothing that she desired and quickly passed the warrior off as completely disposable. "We have other matters than are more pressing than your failings. Speak quickly so that we can discuss actual matters that are concerning us. Your toy is no concern of mine."  
  
Hades felt his demeanor shift to completely serious, folding his hands behind his back before meeting the woman's gaze equally. "That cute little darkness magic didn't work on him. It's broken, and he is the proof. He received a new hand and a single wing, not what I wanted at all." Hades settled his shoulders into a relaxed position as he regarded the woman. "How am I supposed to do my share of the work if the ability to control the darkness and make fine warriors is tampered with, hm? Maybe you should take a closer look at him and tell me what went wrong."  
  
Cloud took all of the information in silently, gathering as much information about these people for use at a later time. He already did not like the woman that stood before him, and he could tell that she held the same regard for him. His glowing gaze did not falter in the slightest as she stared at him. He would never give in to such a woman; he had defeated uglier opponents one-handed so she was no problem to stare at stubbornly. He watched her gaze crawl over him before returning to meet his gaze again, and he admitted slight surprise when she took a step away from him. He glanced at Hades.  
  
Maleficent looked at the blonde carefully again, if only to confirm what she had seen. So, Hades was unwittingly controlling a strong heart, one of very few that existed in the entire universe. She could feel the darkness attempting to cling to the blonde, but the man seemed well guarded to its effects. She could tell that his strength was more in the physical realm rather than the spiritual one, an oddity and perhaps a diamond amoung the rough. Still, she could not fully predict the man's temperament, though his stubbornness shone through like a star in the fading skies.  
  
She looked over to Hades before smiling coolly. "Of course it did not work on him. I doubt you even realize what he really is, but I never did ask for your help because of your intelligence." Her gaze shifted back to the blonde and lingered there for a long time, studying him. She had her eye on one quite similar to this man. "Unless you get this one to give into the darkness by himself, he will never submit to your needs properly. He has a strong light that he guards well, but..." She took a step towards Hades, gaze still fixed on the warrior. "If you can find a weakness that will allow the darkness in, he will be yours. I see a shadow in his gaze, a quest that he desires to fulfill. Perhaps you will find your answers there."  
  
Hades glanced back at the blonde before shifting his gaze back to Maleficent, quirking an eyebrow. "What is the twerp?"  
  
"One who has a strong heart. It is not as strong as the Princesses of Heart, but he ranks in the section just below it for individuals who the Heartless wish to consume the most." She looked at the blonde when the warrior's head shot up at the mentioning of the Heartless. She watched a flicker of recognition sweep through the oceans that stared back at her, and a new cold smile pulled at her lips. Obviously, this little one had encountered the Heartless before, meaning that he probably came from one of the recently consumed worlds. She could use such information to finding more out about the man. "Tell me, where did you pick him up from?"  
  
Hades snorted and folded his arms across his chest in indignation. He was acutely aware of the plots forming in the dark-clad woman since he had spent much of his time researching her if only to pick out a few weaknesses. He was aware of her obvious love for converted troublesome hearts to the darkness, but he was determined to keep the blonde under his control, especially now that Maleficent had spoken openly in front of the warrior. He doubted that Cloud would be very pleased with all of the information passing between them in regards to the man's welfare and current state of stubbornness. Still, he did not wish to give up all of his secrets to the woman who continued to watch the blonde with too much interest for his liking.  
  
Slowly, he turned to regard the blonde and made shooing motions, indicating that he wished a few silent words with the dark-clad woman. When the warrior turned and moved out of hearing distance, he swiveled his attention back to Maleficent. "He wandered into my realm a little while ago. I haven't found out which world he stumbled off of yet." He passed a quick glance to the blonde again. "Listen up, you don't say anything more when Spiky is around. I don't want him to get any ideas floating around in that spiky pinhead of his. He's a puppet, nothing more."  
  
"So, you seek to be rid of him once he has done his business with you? If that is the case, I would be happy to take him off of your hands.... He amuses me." Maleficent smiled coldly at her gaze followed every moment of the warrior, noting that the blonde was stepping closer to the boundaries of the shadows that would not hesitate to capture him. Perhaps she could see the man's true strength sooner than she thought.  
  
Cloud glanced back at the two people talking, his thoughts passing briefly over the words that were exchanged between the two in front of him. He knew that Hades was using him for some strange purpose that probably was not worth his time, but he had never really suspected how much Hades had attempted to trick him. He knew that he was strong, but his strength only seemed to be intensified by the subtle praise to his abilities to escape the Heartless that had taken his home. Still, he was not about to bow down and be controlled by Hades, especially now that Cloud knew that the God of the Underworld was controlling to Heartless and had attempted to turn him into one. Such an act was unforgivable and required time and attention to counteract, and he would counter anything that flew his way.  
  
His glowing gaze shifted back to the two individuals still exchanging words, grinding his teeth softly to vent a bit of frustration with his current situation. He noted that the woman's gaze strayed in his direction again, and he shifted himself to give her a good look at his back. However, his defiance was cut short when the shadows on the nearby wall shifted and he took a step away cautiously, letting out a soft grunt of discomfort when an inky black hand shot out and seized his throat. He became immediately aware of all eyes on him.  
  
Cloud felt the Heartless attempting to pull him closer, and he immediately dug his heels into the carpet stubbornly, eyes narrowing in silent loathing. He slowly reached up a hand and grasped the wrist of the creature as other hands began to emerge from the shadow in an attempt to pull him in. He forced a foot back, pulling most of the black creature with him as he rigidly refused to be dragged in by any tainted creature. His grip tightened considerably as he took another step back, bringing the creature completely free of the shadows. His glowing gaze met the golden eyes of the Heartless grabbing at him and his lips pulled back to expose his clenched teeth as his other fist shot out and torn roughly through the oily flesh of the creature, releasing his hold as the flesh melted through his fingers.  
  
His hand immediately shifted to his enormous blade, swinging it gracefully into position in front of him. He smirked when the other inky hands pulled back into the shadows at his intended threat and swiveled the gigantic sword around his arm a few times before resetting it back into place against his back. He dusted off his hands as if they were dirty and turned his gaze to the other occupants in the room, a stony glare settling over his features. He pulled the collar of his cloak back up and shifted his gaze back the carpet at his feet; he made special note not to wander off of the carpet.  
  
Maleficent was slightly pleased with the show that she had received, the stamina and resistance of the warrior shining through clearly. She could use such a man to further her plans, though his obvious dislike of the Heartless could prove a problem unless she found out exactly how this man had come into contact with them. Once she found out where the blonde came from, it would be easy to manipulate the situation to her advantage. However, grabbing hold of such a warrior was the second thing on her mind, and she had a meeting with the others of her group to attend to. "Hades, we must meet now. Bring your puppet if you wish."  
  
Hades nodded silently and motioned for the blonde to return to his side, slapping the warrior on the shoulder when Cloud was in range. "Hey, hey, that was a nice little show you put on there. Trying to impress the ladies, are you? You can be so shameless, Spiky!" Hades motioned for Cloud to follow behind him. "We're just going to have a little meeting so you just slip into the shadows and be a good little puppy. No marking your territory or special puppy greetings in people's crotches."  
  
Cloud ignored the jabs in his direction and followed Hades silently, stopping in the doorway to lean against the cool doorframe, not really that interested in what these people had to talk about. He stared down at his clawed hand, wriggling his fingers as if they were completely foreign objects. He did not listen in on the conversation taking place, but his eyes did stray to the large pool that portrayed an image of a sandy-haired boy. He took the image into his mind with a single glance, his ears catching only the odd word, mostly 'Keyblade master'. At such a comments, he listened in a bit more, his gaze again straying to the laughing boy.  
  
His Lord Ansem had once spoken softly of an object known as a 'Keyblade', a special sword that has the ability to open and close the doors to other worlds. Cloud had passed the ramblings off as his Lord suffering from a strain, but he had noticed that Ansem seemed consumed with finding this object, often sending mercenaries out in search of it all around their world. He had never seen a blade in the shape of a key, but he had come to realize that it seemed to serve a great obsession for his Lord and that Ansem had never really stopped looking for it in all of his years as a Royal Guard. Whatever the blade meant to Lord Ansem, those secrets died along with the ruler of Hollow Bastion when it fell to the Heartless that attacked. All Cloud knew that might hold clues to such things were in a diary that Ansem had written before his death, but that object also disappeared, and he had not been interested enough to seek out its whereabouts.  
  
Cloud did not have enough time to properly study the boy as the image faded and focused in on another boy, one with short silver hair. The murmurs in regards to this were much more toned down and difficult to discern, but the intent was clear from the sounds of their voices. He could only pick out a few words, but none of them forced together to make any relevant sense to him, though 'Princesses of Heart' did mystically float around. He stored all of the information away for further analysis when he had the time and the need to put in the effort. Obviously, these people had a need to grab children for their hidden purposes, which unfortunately, Cloud knew was none of his concern. He had other priorities on his mind, like killing Hercules and finding Sephiroth.  
  
He took a step away from the door when the meeting appeared to be over, moving back into the main hallway if only to keep his distance from the Arabian man that continually stared at him with interest. He heard more than felt Hades approach, raising his shoulders for the incoming slap. He bristled when Hades slipped an arm around his shoulders and began dragging him away from the quickly dispersing people. "Does this mean we're leaving?"  
  
"Wow, you are a perceptive one. Can't slip anything by you, Blondie." Hades ruffled the blonde's hair, chuckling loudly when Cloud recoiled roughly. "Whoa, hair sensitive are we? Geez, it is still standing straight up and jutting out at odd angles so don't you worry." He grabbed the blonde's wrist firmly and grinned. "Hold tight, my puppy."  
  
Cloud found himself back down in the Underworld faster than he had expected, the biting darkness not nearly as rough as it had been on the initial teleport. He immediately pulled his wrist out of the god's grasp and passively wiped his flesh on his pants as if it were covered in a strange substance. He noted Hades' unamused stare and shifted his gaze away. "When do I go up to the Coliseum for this tournament?"  
  
Hades smoothed down his robes and ran a hand through his flaming hair. "Well, since you asked my impeccably over-anxious finely feathered blonde friend, I'll have Panic take you up there soon to enter." He shifted and started to walk away from the blonde, noting the shift of a blonde eyebrow in his direction. "Oh, don't be upset my cutie-wootsie puppy! I would take you up there myself, but I have other business to attend to...you know, all powerful godly stuff." Hades turned on his heel to fully regard the warrior. "You can train your little heart out until Panic comes to collect you."  
  
With his commands set down, Hades turned on his heel and stalked off towards his throne room. He muttered softly to himself on the way, ignoring everything but his thoughts at the moment. He entered the massive room with little grace, merely throwing the doors open and stalking over to his throne where he flopped down in a small cloud of dust from his pillow. He coughed and brushed away the dust, leaning his cheek on one of his hands as his thoughts strayed back to the meeting.  
  
He had reluctantly taken on a new order, aside from attempting to keep the gods from catching on to their little plan and putting an end to any who was stupid enough to stray into the Coliseum looking to be a hero. He really could not believe that he was now stuck having to capture one of the Princesses of Heart; as far as he could tell, she seemed to be protected by a creature that easily defeated anyone that dared stray too close. With such information, he knew that he might have to pull out his big guns to do the job, as much as he would rather just keep his thrump card hidden up his sleeve. Still, it seemed that he had little choice in the matter and it would probably be less of a headache to send the obsessively persistent Sephiroth away rather than deal with the man stalking Cloud's footsteps day and night. Really, Hades had never seen obsession run so deep that one's entire purpose was based around staring at someone's receding back.  
  
Hades sat up straighter in his chair and glanced around his chambers, clearing his throat softly. "Hey, Sephy-boy, get your obsessive little winged butt in here. I have a job for you do for me so hurry yourself up and stop attempting to pet your birdie." Hades did not have to wait long at all as the silver-haired General appeared in front of him in a great display of power. Obviously sending this man was a good idea. "Took you long enough. I had to wait at least a minute and a half. I suggest you show up to work on time, mister, or I'll fire your butt and burn your contract, meaning...birdie-boy is all mine."  
  
Sephiroth remained completely unimpressed, his expression settling on almost annoyed at the disturbance to his previous activities. He relaxed at he regarded the god, one arm resting purposefully on the hilt of his long blade. "I don't believe that burning my contract with have an affect on my property. I have yet to have spoken a word he can hear or place any object in regards to myself in front of him to see; therefore, Cloud is still mine."  
  
Hades covered his eyes with a hand and leaned back in his throne as if he had suddenly been stricken with a headache. "Right, got to remember to get good help with a sense of humour. I will remember this for the next time."  
  
"What do you want? I was quite busy on other matters." Sephiroth replied curtly, wanting to get back to his previous activity. He was so very close to getting Cloud safely within his grasp again, and Hades was only prolonging the time it took to get his property back.  
  
Hades slowly lowered his hand and sighed heavily. "I got a job for you to do, Wonderboy."  
  
Sephiroth remained silent, his mind replaying the name he had just been called. He had been called some of the rudest names under the sun and even some of the most flattering ones as well, but he had never been called anything so stupid in his entire life. He was not sure if he should be offended or not, so he kept his silence instead. He stood almost rigidly, puzzling over the word shot his way before finally settling his thoughts on getting closer to his goal of capturing Cloud.  
  
"Okay, all you have to do is get to this world, easy right? I thought so too." Hades gestured in the air, bringing up an image of a darkened castle on the edge of a cliff, the landscape lit with the sinking sun. "In that there castle, there is a woman that I need you to get your hands on and bring her back here. Easy right? Just get in there, grab the girl, and come back, nothing to it, right?"  
  
Sephiroth studied the image intently, gaze flicking over all aspects that a picture could show him before finally nodded his head. "What does the woman look like?"  
  
"Don't worry, Wonderboy, it's the only woman there. You can't miss her! Just...well, watch out for the talking furniture and happy sing-songs. Things like that could melt anyone's brain." Hades climbed to his feet and called up a photograph, handing it the silver-haired man for a glimpse. "Like I said, just grab her and come back."  
  
"Any other details of this mission that I should be aware of?" Sephiroth inquired softly, suddenly the brunette closely.  
  
Hades twiddled his thumbs as he attempted to come up with the best way to breach the subject of the rather large, over-protective wolf-man creature. "Well...Spiky won't be around there..." He grinned and paced slowly. "But hey! There is this funny little detail that you might want to watch out for since...you know, the creature is highly over-protective, powerful, and demanding..." Hades stopped and looked Sephiroth up and down before quirking an eyebrow. "Kind of like you, Wonderboy. You two might get along great...or, you could try to kill one another..."  
  
Sephiroth snorted and turned away, tucking the picture into his coat as he started to walk from Hades. He was not interested in details that were not of any concern to him. He would not be defeated by anything so petty. "Such things are child's play. I have no worry about such a creature."  
  
"Geez, I could have sworn that you said the same thing about Blondie before he whooped your butt and sent you down here to me." Hades grinned toothily when the silver-haired man swiveled to glare at him. He noted the tension in the room rising as the silence extended. "Don't worry, Wonderboy. I'm sure you can handle this thing. No big deal, right? It isn't a spiky blonde with a big sword so you can handle it. If you want, I can get Spiky to hold your hand and do all the battling for you." Hades snickered when Sephiroth turned fully to face him, the aqua eyes swirling with unspoken anger.  
  
Sephiroth pulled his emotions back again and smirked cruelly. "If I say yes to having Cloud 'hold my hand', does that mean that my contract about not touching him is void?"  
  
Hades blinked and thought about the best way to answer the question before finally just chuckling in mock fun. "That's cute, Wonderboy, but...no. Blondie stays blissfully in the dark." He noted the silver-haired man's mock pout. "However, if you can pull this off, I might help dear Spiky out in finding you. Do this and I get what I want and you get a little closer to getting what you want. Don't help me, and I'll make sure that you don't get another looky at your cute little birdie."  
  
"Hmpt, your threats mean nothing to me." Sephiroth replied stonily. He was not about to be controlled so easily.  
  
"They don't? Oh well, that's fine then. Panic, get in here!" Hades smirked at the silver-haired man's flash of confusion as Panic skittered into the room and all but ran around Sephiroth to get to him. "Panic, be a good faithful subject and take Spiky up to the Coliseum to enter the tournament. Don't show him off. Just get him up there, sign his name up and completely ignore that ol' goat and get Blondie a new place to stay." He smirked when Sephiroth's gaze narrowed at him and completely ignored the death-glare sent his way. "Oh and show the twerp which one is Hercules. I want Blondie to get a good look at his only real opponent. Got that?"  
  
Sephiroth took a few steps forward, slightly enraged that Hades was making his plans more and more difficult. He glared at the small green creature as it skittered passed him, sending it from the room at a faster pace. "Cloud is mine. He is my property, and you have no hold over him. I will not allow you to move MY possession around where I cannot keep an eye on him."  
  
Hades smirked and sat down in his chair again. "Like I said, Wonderboy, you do something for me, I'll do something for you. Don't and Blondie stays out of your reach."  
  
"Very well. I get the girl for you, and you let me have some fun with my property." Sephiroth set his shoulders and ran a finger over the hilt of his sword, now really not in the mood for any games that Hades might try to send his way.  
  
Hades chuckled. "I knew you would see it my way eventually." He folded his hands in his lap, gaze set on the silver-haired warrior. "Here's what I'll do for you. If you grab the girl and deliver her unharmed, I'll let you wander into one of Spiky's dreams to rape, pillage, and otherwise make his life miserable." Hades was pleased with the smile that pulled at the edges of Sephiroth's mouth. "But only one night so you had better make it worth while because this is the only chance that I'm giving you. Oh, and you can't say anything about where you are and what you are doing because...well, I'm watching you so do something wrong and you loss the kid. Got it?"  
  
Sephiroth let the cruel smirk spread across his elegant features, a long sigh making his shoulders relax again. "I only need one night with him. One night and I will have him struggling beautifully for me." He turned and walked across the black stone floors, smirk still etched into his features. "Yes, that's sound like a very good deal. I like the sound of that."  
  
"Oh, Wonderboy, one last thing." Hades watched as the silver-haired man glanced over an armoured shoulder at him. "Because you are such a good peon, I give you free reign in the world you are going to. Leave it in whatever state you want."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud stopped as he pushed the massive gates of the Olympic Coliseum open, glowing gaze flicking around the massive courtyard. Silently, he followed Panic across the sandy grounds, somewhat awed by the sheer size of this place. He had never seen an arena built solely for fighting this big in his entire life, and it sent excited shivers up his spine, though his outward appearance did not change in the least.  
  
The courtyard was huge, spreading out in all directions from the solid golden stairs of the entrance until it met with towering walls of golden stone that appeared to have been crafted individually and equally set with care. The dirt beneath his feet sparkled and crunched under his boots, an aura of a higher state settling across the massive courtyard. Cumbersome cauldrons were placed equidistantly around the outside of the courtyard, bright orange flames dancing and sending light to every corner of the open space. Directly in front of him were two gigantic statues of Greek warriors carved from stone and beckoning all fighting to the considerably smaller doors.  
  
His gaze shifted around his surroundings in reserved astonishment. He silently followed the small green demon up the stone stairs and into a much more cramped room, though it seemed considerably more elaborate with the Greek writing etched into the stone. He stopped when his gaze strayed onto a muttering satyr, quirking an eyebrow at the obvious roundness of the creature. Obviously, this creature would not be one of his opponents.  
  
He remained silent as Panic walked over to the creature and handed a slip of paper to the fat satyr and the two conversed briefly before Panic returned to look up the distance between them. He quirked a questioning eyebrow at the lithe creature and waited for an explanation for what was required of him. When the demon only glanced between him and the satyr, he sighed heavily. "What? Can we go now?"  
  
Panic smiled and nodded, passing a glance back to Phil before making small shooing motions, indicating that they should leave before the old goat changed his mind on letting the blonde leave without a trial run. It followed the blonde out of the door triumphantly, squeaking unceremoniously when it walked right into the back of the blonde's legs. "Hey! You didn't tell me you were gonna stop! Are you even listening to me?" Panic wandered in front of the blonde, turning to follow the glowing gaze to its intended target. Its eyes widened as realization that the great Hercules was walking towards them. "Oh, oh...um...AH! Hide! Run away! Hercules is coming! Don't let me see us!" It quickly jumped behind the nearest cauldron and covered its head.  
  
Cloud remained stonily in place, gaze running over the finely muscled man that was approaching him. So, this was his final opponent, the one he was supposed to kill? He sized the young man up, quirking an eyebrow when he could find little in the other warrior's casual stance that indicated any sort of weakness. He stepped to the side when Hercules started up the stairs, his gaze meeting the cobalt blue of the other man, shifting his eyes away when a bright smile lit the other man's features. As the man passed, he sighed and stepped down the stairs. "You must be Hercules." He noted the young man stopped and regard his back. "I'll see you in the fighting ring."  
  
"Huh?" The confusion was almost overwhelming. "Oh, the tournament! Sorry kid, but I'm not participating in the upcoming tournament. I have to visit my relatives so I have to drop out, but hey, all to you. I wish you luck and maybe I'll meet you in the fighting ring another time."  
  
Cloud swivelled as the stone doors closed after Hercule's receding back, stopping short. He looked around for Panic, rolling his eyes when the little demon crept out to look at him. "So, Hercules isn't going to be in this tournament. Great. I bet Hades set me up..."  
  
Panic let the words sink in fully before letting its jaw hit the dusty floor. And like its name, it did precisely that, panicked. "Hades isn't gonna be happy about this...He wanted the god-wannabe out of the way! He is so going to get a headache and try to strangle me!" It skittered in behind the blonde, looking around as if the god of the Underworld could appear at any moment. "Um...maybe we should stay here for a little while...."  
  
Cloud sighed and stepped around the little demon, walking back the way that he had come. He felt that Hades owed him big now and a serious explanation was due. He wanted to be rid of his contract and get any information that the god had for him in regards to Sephiroth. The sooner that he defeated Hercules, the sooner he would not have to associate with the Heartless that he knew that Hades controlled. He wanted to speed things up if he could. "Come on, you, let's not stay here any longer than we have to. I have to talk to Hades anyway."  
  
Panic slowly trudged after the blonde, weaving a path that prolonged having to go back to the Underworld. "Hey...uh, why don't you tell Hades about Hercules...kay? I...uh..."  
  
"Geez, grow a backbone, Panic. Hades couldn't be frightening no matter how hard he tried." Cloud glanced back at the slightly mortified demon. "I'll tell him, and you can just cower behind me. I won't let him strangle you."  
  
"Really? You would do that...for me?" Panic asked quietly, quickening its pace to keep up with the blonde.  
  
Cloud shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Sure, I guess."  
  
Panic ran up and latched onto the blonde's leg, sobbing hysterically into the navy blue material of the warrior's pant leg. It refused to release its hold even when the blonde attempted to dislodge it. "No one...ever did anything nice for me! Only Pain is sometimes nice to me!" It clung closer when the blonde started to shake the leg it was attached to. "Will you be my friend?"  
  
"Will you let go of my leg if I say yes?" Cloud felt more than a little embarrassed with this sudden burst of the flood gates from the demon. Obviously Hades had been right when the god had stated the lack of good help.  
  
Panic slowly nodded its head. "Be my friend?" When the blonde nodded, it released its hold and shuffled slightly. "Sorry...but...I wasn't held very much as a demonling so...I...uh...get kind of emotional easily...."  
  
Cloud turned and started to walk again, this time keeping one eye on Panic in case the lithe demon decided to lunge for his leg again. "Geez, I've seen more emotionally stable children after a war when compared to you."  
  
"Really?" Panic grinned toothily. "Thanks a lot, friend."  
  
"That's not supposed to be a compliment."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Wow, I really think that was probably the worst written chapter that I have ever done. It was almost painful to write and when I read it, it seems so fragmented in the thoughts! Oh, I am so terribly sorry! I will write better next time; I promise!  
  
But hey, I managed to set things up for the next chapter! Sephiroth action coming up for those that are actually interested and the first 'meeting' between the two mighty fi~tors. It should be very exciting, or at least, I hope that it will exciting. Still figuring things out. I suppose that the next chapter can't get any worse that this one. 


	4. Clash of Light with Darkness

Darkness Rising  
  
By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
Author's Note: Well, I felt really bad for that last horrible chapter so I wanted to take the time to apologize for it. Also, I wanted to thank everyone that has taken the time to read and review this fic. It really helps to encourage me to write more. I hope that you are all enjoying it.  
  
Other Author's note: Heehee, I just wanted to say that when ' happens, it is to indicate a dream-like voice that Cloud can only hear unless otherwise specified. Of course, we all know that Cloud is crazy and hears voices in his head :P Please, enjoy this chapter.  
  
Chapter 3 - Clash of Light with Darkness  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth perched silently in the stone window frame, smirking in amusement as the gentle night's breeze shifted the curtains and his black coat. He found the darkness around him rather refreshing and his skin had cooled down considerably when compared to the Underworld which was usually quite warm. The breeze that brushed passed him bit softly at his exposed flesh and shifted some of his long silver locks of hair cascading over his shoulder as if reaching for the lone occupant of the room who had yet to notice his sinister presence.  
  
He had spent some of his time merely watching his intended prey, studying the woman's every movement as he often did with Cloud. He found little interest in her long brown hair and elaborate golden dress that shimmered and sparkled beneath the candle light in a similar fashion that the woman's deep brown eyes did. He smirked when she slipped her long lithe arms into the golden satin gloves and tied back the chocolate hair with a golden ribbon. He found her clothing to be overly extravagant and the woman's demeanor much too bubbly and happy. For him, she was just another woman in pretty clothing, not much too look at.  
  
When she had wandered into an adjacent room to finish with her preparations, he had flicked the dense windows open and perched, his gaze moving about the room. Much like her clothing, the room was equally extravagant with a cherry coloured carpet and an overly large bed with sheets that appeared to be silk from his current distance. The wood furniture was of exceptional make, obviously only the finest trees having suited the owner of the house and all of the carvings. To each wall was either a finely painted picture or a long, beautiful tapestry. Even the curtains that swept by him as they moved in the wind were overly expensive. Of course, he was not impressed in the least with this show of wealth, nor did he take the various pieces of moving, talking furniture to be any sort of problem.  
  
With catlike grace and agility, he stepped into the large room, gaze set of the sound of soft humming. He completely ignored the gasping closet on his obvious pursuit of his prey. He slipped into the doorway just as his intended target stepped out, running into him. Smirking, he nodded his head at her quickly widening eyes, thrusting a lightning hand out to seize the young woman by the throat. He pulled her close as if to study her more carefully before gesturing down at the sword at his waist. "Make a single noise and I will do more that slaughter everything in this house. Understood?"  
  
He easily lifted the woman's weight from the ground and stepped back into the bedchambers, gaze fixing on the jumping furniture. Again, he completely ignored it and walked calmly back to the window, hopping back up into the sill before forcing the young woman to dangle at an obviously dangerous height. Finally, he turned his attention to the now screaming items in the room. "I'll be on the roof if prince charming wishes to challenge me. Oh...you have about five seconds before this room bursts into flames and you die. Enjoy yourselves." He turned his attention back to the young woman in his hand. "Shall we then?"  
  
"Time to die!" Sephiroth more fell rather than stepped from the window, chuckling cruelly when the room exploded into an inferno of flames, his amusement peaking when the woman in his grasp screamed shrilly. He allowed their decent to continue until he had the young woman struggling against his hold and calling for help; he then stopped abruptly a few inches from the ground and started a painfully slow ascent towards the roof of the castle, gaze shifting down to the woman still struggling to get free of him. "Do you have a name, woman?"  
  
"Monster!" Belle screamed at the one-winged man, clawing almost desperately at his gloved hand.  
  
"Interesting name." Sephiroth chuckled at the enraged disgusted look he was thrown and pointed upwards towards an intensely shining light. He lifted the woman's chin when she did not follow his hand. "Look at that beautiful light. I had so wanted to see it a few years ago, but my property denied me that privilege. It will be a wonderful sight, I should think." He glanced down at the brunette who merely looked quizzically at him. "That..." He gestured to the rather large light again. "Would be what I call Meteor. I wanted to use it on Hollow Bastion, but...now I get to use it on your pathetic little world. Hope you have love ones around because I'm going to enjoy listening to them scream."  
  
Belle gasped in horror, her eyes drawn to the large glowing object in the sky, shaking her head in denial. She immediately turned her attention back to her captor. "You can't do that!"  
  
Sephiroth chuckled softly, patting the woman on the top of the head. "Just watch me." He unceremoniously tossed the brunette onto the steeply slanted rooftop, smirking when she latched desperately onto the elaborate shingles. He landed gracefully on the edge of the roof, gaze fixed on his prey before glancing up at the sky, noting that meteor was now clearly defined in the sky and drawing closer at a rapid pace. For him, it would be the greatest sight this world would ever see.  
  
He really did not have to wait long before an enraged scream reached his ears and the sound of claws digging deeply into wood and his chosen opponent arrived within sight. He kept his back to the creature, silently enjoying the cool breeze that was slowly heating up as meteor drew closer, brushing stray locks of silver hair back over his shoulder again. He smirked as he turned to regard the furious creature, hand rising to rest on the hilt of his long blade as his eyes took in this 'beast' with a single glance.  
  
Purposefully, his gaze shifted from the woman at his feet and the hairy cursed beast a few yards away before pointing towards his captive. His hand moved in an intricate pattern as he called forward a spell, red streaking light following each shift of his hand. He smirked as a red halo began to form around the young woman's head as the spell proceeded. He spoke only three words to initiate the destructive power of the spell that he had created, "Descend Heartless Angel!" His words were mostly masked by the enraged shout screamed from the woman's suitor along with the trembling scream that the young brunette issued as the spell drained away her life energy and transferred it into himself.  
  
He rolled back on his heels briefly before grabbing the hilt of Masamune and flying into action against his new opponent; he was vaguely aware of the young woman's unconscious form slipping from the rooftop. He slipped to the side of the claw and drew his blade with masterful accuracy, smashing the hilt into the beast's ribs, enjoying the feel of cracking bone. He leapt back a few feet, rebalanced his weight and disappeared in a flash of black light, only the word "Omnislash" remaining in his stead.  
  
His movements were like liquid, each stroke of his blade hitting its intended mark with brutal efficiency and debilitating power. He moved deliberately, each step perfectly placed, each shift of weight perfectly balanced, each hit impossible to dodge. Sephiroth felt each hit, judged the mark, and attacked over and over until the sword combination ran out, and he leapt back to balance on the edge of the roof, a calm cool smirk set across his features as the Beast slumped to the roof.  
  
"Belle..."  
  
Chuckling, Sephiroth fell back, teleporting to the ground when he had fully dropped out of sight just in time to catch the young woman's unconscious form. He gracefully swung her weight over one of his shoulders and teleported back the rooftop, now taking slow steps towards his injured opponent. He stopped when he was just out of reaching distance, gaze fixed on the battered form at his feet. "Interesting creature you are. I had almost hoped for a challenge from you, but... such things simply cannot be. Cloud is my only challenge, but you fell more quickly than expected."  
  
"Don't...touch...Belle..." Beast snarled in as much anger as his battered form could muster. He had never seen speed or dark power like that in all of his life.  
  
"The woman comes with me; I have my orders." Sephiroth looked up at the sky, reaching up a hand as if beckoning the meteor closer. It was clearly visible now, and it was still moving fast. He had only a little more time left with this world before it crumbled and was destroyed. "You are lucky that I was feeling merciful. By hitting you with the blunt side of my sword, I only broke almost all of you ribs, shattered the bones in your legs and cracked your skull."  
  
Beast snarled as he tried to move, to get close enough to get Belle back from this madman's grasp. He nearly howled when his body refused to move with his commands and his mind was blurred with tremendous pain. "I...will...kill...you... if you...hurt...Belle...."  
  
Sephiroth chuckled softly and glanced at the woman laid over his shoulder. "I don't believe you are in any position to stop me." He crouched, aqua gaze meeting the enraged gaze of the Beast before reaching out and patting the man's head in a rough show of mockery. "I think I will leave you here to watch my present drop on your miserable little planet and crush your pitiful life out while I go and perform activities that are better suited to my interests." He smirked cruelly. "I will see you in the Promised Land."  
  
He stood and walked slowly to the edge of the roof again, gaze moving up to the sky as a fond smile pulled at his lips. He was almost upset that he would miss the fun of watching this world crumble, but he had much more important matters to attend to, mainly getting his hands on his property once more.  
  
"...Who...?"  
  
Sephiroth turned to regard the Beast again, quirking a slightly impressed eyebrow to see the man nearly on his feet again; he knew of very few individuals that could force themselves back into an upright position once they had been hit by his attacks. Obviously, he had slightly under estimated this man's strength of will.  
  
Slowly, he smiled coolly. "I am the greatest swordsman that ever lived. You'd best remember that as you die."  
  
Beast took a slow, painful step towards the silver-haired man, ignoring everything but his intended target. He needed to get Belle back; he simply could not allow her to fall into such hands even if it killed him. He promised to protect her and that was precisely want he intended to do, no matter what it took. He took another painful step, growling at the arrogant smirk that greeted him from the other warrior; he was so close of reaching Belle. He let out an angered cry as his next step lead to the silver-haired man stepping from the rooftop and plummeting to the ground. "BELLE...!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud watched with some annoyance as Hades threw a bit of a fit over the fact that Hercules had dropped out of the tournament. Of course, he had been the one to inform the god, seeing as Panic was hiding behind his legs currently, both of them waiting out the small temper-tantrum from Hades. He ran a hand threw his hair and shifted his weight when the god's hair colour returned to a more normal state of blue flame, and he watched impassively when Hades turned to regard him again. "Done?"  
  
Hades glowered at the blonde before switching his gaze down to Panic who was peaking out at him from behind Cloud's legs. He sighed in aggravation and pointed to a spot on the floor directly in front of him, smirking when the little demon slowly skittered into place and cowered in front of him. "Panic, just...one small question for you."  
  
"Uh...sure, boss." Panic squeaked back hoarsely, hoping to avoid the impending violence.  
  
"Didn't I tell you to get Blondie here a new place to stay?" Hades folded his hands behind his back when the lithe demon nodded slowly before looking up at the blonde warrior. "Good, you heard the order at least, so...why is Spiky standing in front of me?!" One of feet shot out and slammed into the green demon, sending it flying across his throne room as his hair returned to a red to show his displeasure. However, before he could start his yelling at Panic, he noted that his faithful subject had yet to hit the floor, his gaze swinging to regard the blonde that was now holding the demon in an upside-down position. He blinked when his mind retraced the previous events, and he raised his eyebrows when he figured that the blonde must have caught the flying injured creature. "What...what was that? Can't you see I'm trying to practice my anger-management skills on Panic here?"  
  
Cloud righted the little demon in his hands, putting Panic back on the ground behind him again. He slowly turned his attention back to the god who appeared to be trying to discern his actions. "Leave Panic alone."  
  
Hades couldn't help but blink in confusion. Was someone telling him what to do? "What did you just say, Blondie? I could have sworn I heard your insignificant little voice."  
  
"I said, leave Panic alone." Cloud felt the little creature's arms wrap tightly around one of his legs, but he kept his attention on Hades who looked to be about to blow another fit of rage. "I demanded to come back here after I found out that Hercules was not fighting. Does this mean I just drop out now and just continue to train?"  
  
Hades forced himself into calmness again as he regarded the blonde. Perhaps he would let Sephiroth have more unrestrained time with his bad little puppy now that Cloud was talking back to him. Tensely, he shook his head. "Nah, you can fight in the tournament. Besides, I might get to see someone best you the more you fight. That way, your victories won't swell in that spiky pinhead of yours."  
  
Cloud felt his eyes narrow at the insult, but he refused to be baited into action over something so trivial. "My contract says that I only have to fight in the tournament that Hercules is in."  
  
Hades had to restrain the urge to strangle the blonde. How dare anyone but him manipulate the situation in regards to contracts! He looked the warrior up and down, giving a slight more appreciation to the man's perception skills. He felt a grin pull as the corners of his mouth; he hadn't played games with people's heads in a long time and now seemed like the greatest opportunity. It appeared that Cloud was no nitwit, and he would take pleasure in toying with the blonde. "Well, now that you mention it, you're right! Geez, how could I forget that miniscule detail that is the complete and utter fundamental basis for your contract. Man, I must be losing my memory in my old age! Pity that, eh Spiky?" When the blonde remained steadfast in his humour, he covered his face with a hand. "Can you just PLEASE try to change your expression, even if it is just once! There must be a sense of humour somewhere in your body! Try to find it, if only for my sake."  
  
Cloud shifted his weight and made no attempt to find humour in Hades' comments, instead his face remained almost completely neutral. "I'll fight in that tournament if you give me some information in regards to where I can find Sephiroth. Give me something to go on and I'll fight in your tournament as long as the only opponents are the one's scheduled." He lifted his chin from behind the cloak and forced a small smile on his lips. "How's that for humour?"  
  
"You know...I really think that Zeus must have be your father because no one is this annoying except him." Hades stormed over to his throne and flopped down, muttering about how much he hated his younger brother. He eventually reverted his attention back to the blonde and sighed heavily. "Fine, you fight in the tournament and I'll give you a tid-bit of information about your friend. Got it?" He really needed to put this kid in his place, and he already had the most perfect manner of doing so set into place. "Okay, here is what I can tell you that my research on Seraphim..."  
  
"Sephiroth." Cloud corrected.  
  
"Right, Serpentis. Anyway, as far as I can tell, he is currently on a completely different world reeking unspeakable havoc on it...you know, like deranged evil people often do." Hades shifted his gaze to his fingernails as if they were the most interesting things in the entire room. "Looks like he beating some wolfman up and stealing his girl, or something like that. Hey, and it looks like he's trying to drop a big rock on the planet from space. Zeus only knows where he got that power. So...there you have it. I'm still looking into things for you because...you know, I'm such a nice god and go out on a limb for any ol' peon of mine."  
  
Cloud slowly nodded, his mind playing over the information. It certainly did sound like the Sephiroth that he had knew, and it didn't surprise him that the former General was doing something of that extreme nature. Perhaps the crazed man was trying to get his attention? He couldn't be certain, but he could at least attempt to put an end to Sephiroth again. "Where is this planet? Would I be able to get to it?"  
  
Hades quirked an eyebrow. "To what?"  
  
"The planet."  
  
"Oh, that. Nah, don't bother, he'll have destroyed it by the time you get there. You'll just have to wait until I find something new on his position afterwards." Hades stood when he saw a flash of disappointment race across the blonde's face and walked the distance between them, meeting the warrior's glowing gaze. "Don't look so disappointed. There's plenty of time for you to continue this inane search for Sepulchre..."  
  
"Sephiroth." Cloud corrected again. He was not sure if Hades was saying the General's name wrong by mistake or just to annoy him.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, that's what I said." Hades wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders and smirked arrogantly. He felt a familiar obsessive presence step back into the realm of the Underworld, making his smirk widen even more. "Well, Blondie, you must be tired from all the work you did today. Why not call it a night, eh?"  
  
Cloud quirked an eyebrow and shifted away from the god suspiciously. Something did not feel right about Hades and the room around him seemed to feel a bit cooler than he remembered it. "I hardly did anything straining today. I'm not tired...." He gasped as he felt a prick in the back of his neck, and couldn't help but fall to his knees as all the energy seemed to be leeched from his body. He was not sure what happened when his mind cleared again, but he was vaguely aware that something had been done to him, what, he simply couldn't remember. It seemed as if the last few minutes of his memories were shrouded in darkness. Perhaps he had fallen unconscious?  
  
Hades smirked knowingly and glanced down at Panic, giving the little demon a dangerous stare before turning his attention to the blonde at his feet. He actually enjoyed seeing the blonde warrior on all fours in front of him, perhaps because it added to his little power-hungry complex. Still, he decided to play this act up as much as possible as he let a hand fall on the blonde's tense shoulder. "Hey Blondie, what the heck happened? One minute we were talking, next your eyes rolled back in your head and you fell over all unconscious-like. You look like crap, kid. Maybe you should have a little rest; you've obviously been pushing yourself too hard."  
  
Cloud slowly forced himself back to his feet, wobbling unsteadily before finally just sinking into a crouch. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure when the simple act of moving his golden bangs from his eyes became such an extreme task for him. He raised his head and tried to focus his gaze and grumbled when he failed to do so. Being stubborn, he once more forced himself to his feet, urging his trembling knees to support his weight as he attempted to take a step towards the door. His success only lasted a few steps before he fell back to his knees roughly, taking the time to breathe properly. He felt himself sway when blinking became the most difficult task, the sheer act of trying to force his eyes open too difficult to bear. Without realizing it, he felt the cool floor meet his cheek and a shadow descend over his gaze as he began to fight a losing battle with unconsciousness. Eventually, he could do little but slip off into the darkness of sleep and hopefully figure out what had caused him this inconvenience when his mind was free of the cobwebs of sleep.  
  
Hades couldn't help but laugh when the blonde finally slipped off to sleep. His gaze fixed on Panic who was attempting to drag the blonde towards the door. He bent to check to make sure that he had not over done it and accidentally put Cloud into a coma; he had made that mistake once and really did not want to pay for it again. When he was sure that the blonde would eventually rouse again, he slapped Panic in the back of the head, sending the little demon to the floor. "You aren't to tell this twerp anything that happened here, Panic. He fell down and bumped his head or something, got it?" He watched the little demon nod before looking down at the sleeping blonde. "Hmm, I don't want him sleeping here where I can trip over his dead weight."  
  
"I could take him to a more pleasing place, if you wanted."  
  
Hades turned to regard the cool voice, smirking when Sephiroth stepped from the shadows with the required Princess of Heart over one shoulder. He could not help but notice the pleased smirk on the other man's features and chuckled softly. "Wonderboy, glad to see you made it back unharmed. Is the world destroyed?"  
  
"Would you expect any less of me?" Sephiroth replied coolly, setting the unconscious woman down on the floor next to an equally unconscious Cloud. He stepped over the woman and bent to investigate the state of his property, reaching a tentative hand out as if to make contact with the warm flesh he knew was there. He stopped his fingers and glanced up at Hades. "You harmed him?" He did not bother to hide the slight annoyance in his voice.  
  
Hades smoothed his robes back into place and folded his arms across his chest at he regarded the silver-haired man. "I did no such thing. I merely...drained him of most of his life energy and forced him into an unconscious state where he would enter a dream of his mind's choosing." He watched Sephiroth's gaze arc to the blonde again, smirking when the silver-haired man's hand reached out as if to touch. "You can take the time to thank me now. On your knees praising me as the best god this universe has ever known will be good enough to please me."  
  
Sephiroth snorted and ignored the god, his gaze crawling over the blonde's still form. It would be so easy to capture Cloud in such a state, one that he admitted that he had enjoyed watching on several occasions in the past. He could take what he had already placed claim upon and enjoy the struggles of the lone creature that still held his interest for any length of time. With Cloud in a weakened state, it would be easy to get everything that he had ever wanted from the blonde with little struggle or effort on his part, too easy in fact. He always enjoyed the challenge that the blonde brought along, and he was not about to give it up no matter how much he wished to put his property back into a cage. He could wait for a better opportunity, like the one that Hades had promised him.  
  
Slowly, he climbed back to his feet and turned to face the god. "There is the woman, unharmed as promised." He gestured down to the unconscious brunette on the floor. "I've done what you asked of me, now I want what you said that you would give me for success. If I am correct, and I almost always am, Cloud is sleeping soundly awaiting my arrival?" He let a cruel smirk fill his features. "I would hate to let my little canary wait for me."  
  
Hades prodded the unconscious blonde with a foot, cocking his head to the side before finally nodding. "Well, I'm usually a god of my word...when it's an honest word, that is...so, I see no problem in turning a blind eye to such contact with him. If anything, it might unearth that personality that I've been looking for in him." He slowly walked around the two unconscious forms on his floor, gaze moving about the large room until he finally stopped when he was standing at Sephiroth's side. "Alright Wonderboy, Blondie is all yours as long as he is asleep. However, I want him in a mental state that is above Hercules, meaning above vegetable status." Hades leaned an elbow on the silver-haired man's shoulder. "Ruffle his feathers a bit. I want to see if this kid can actually get off balance, you know...just to make sure I can keep a bit of control on him if the tournament goes bad."  
  
"I know him better than anyone. I know what will make him squirm and struggle in the most beautiful ways." Sephiroth sluffed Hades' hand off of his shoulder and took a step towards his sleeping property. "I will see how fast canaries can fly...."  
  
"Riiiiiiight, you do that...obsessive freak." Hades looked down at Panic who now was sitting on the blonde's back as if protecting him. "Panic, do I want to know?" When the little demon opened its mouth to speak, he shook his head. "You're right, I don't want to know. Just go with Spiky and make sure that Wonderboy doesn't lay a hand on him while he's all vulnerable and unable to resist." Hades raised a hand when Panic looked to be about to protest, calling the darkness of his realm to transport the blonde to a safer place, preferably out of his sight.  
  
Hades turned his attention back to Sephiroth as the man started to walk away. Smirking, he twitched his fingers and folded one hand behind his back. "Hey, Wonderboy!"  
  
Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder briefly. "I'm busy."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Just do me one favour while you're over there?" Hades grinned. "Sleep." He chuckled when the silver-haired man almost crumpled to the ground before finding his smile falter. "Dammit, another dead weight on my floor! How am I supposed to concentrate on taking over the world with dead weight on my nice dusty floors?!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud smiled warmly as he walked through the massive gates of the Hollow Bastion's castle, nodding resolutely to the guards standing at their posts. The solid stone beneath his feet felt very good, and he could almost believe that the cool stone wall that moved beneath his fingers as he walked was real. He could remember clearly the smell of the air, the clinking of mechanical elevators as they moved along their routes, the soft bustle of people moving about their casual business. It brought a calm about him to return to his home even if it were just a dream; it brought memories of a pleasant time before all of the problems started, all the chaos, all the pain.  
  
He traced a path up through the main halls to his most favourite spot in the entire castle. It really wasn't much considering anyone could venture onto the outcropping and often people did to take the moving platform back to the main gates. He sat after removing his large sword from his back and let his legs dangle over the edge of the stone wall, his gaze looking out over the waters below and the city that was on the horizon. It was a pleasant place that he relaxed when he was off-duty, and he was pleased that he managed to catch a beautiful sunset over the mountain range in the distance. He sighed and enjoyed the calmness of his dream, longing to be back in a time and place where his life had reached a normal stability.  
  
"Cloud! Cloud, Cloud!" He turned his head to look over his shoulder at the small childish voice, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth again as his gaze found little Aerith in her favourite pink dress. It was rare that he encountered anyone that he knew in his dreams, but it was a very pleasant surprise. He chuckled when the little brunette skipped over and hugged one of his arms, providing him with a pouting face. "Cloud, where did you go? Away you go, and papa gets sick with the flu! I had to stay with Lulu 'cause you weren't here!"  
  
Cloud shook his head and ran a hand through his blonde hair, lifting his chin as a gentle breeze swept over his body. It had been too long since he had felt to wind of his home, the smell of salt in the air from the sea below. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling until Aerith tugged on his arm and pouted more at him. "Alright, I'm sorry I went away. I won't do it again."  
  
"Promise?" The little girl asked quietly.  
  
"I promise. No more business trips for me." Cloud reached out a hand and ruffled Aerith's soft locks of hair, smoothing the stray pieces back into place before patting her on the top of the head. When she smiled warmly at him, he turned his attention back to the sunset, glancing back when the little brunette let go of his arm and appeared to go off to play with a small puppy that had wandered up to her. When he was sure that she would be in no danger of falling, he let himself drift back to enjoying the last warm rays of the sun.  
  
He wasn't too sure how long it took for him to realize that the sun was not sinking any lower in the sky and shook his head as his own foolishness. He chided himself for getting lost in the feeling of belonging again, almost forgetting that he was in a dream, one of many that he had formed not long after the destruction of his planet. Still, he had not dreamed of Hollow Bastion in almost four years, but he quickly noted the insignificant details that did not find a place or did not find harmony with the actual place where he grew up. It did not displease him, but it made him frustrated that this would be as close to Hollow Bastion as he would get until he managed to liberate it from the Heartless.  
  
"Cloud! Look! Look what I found!" Cloud half-turned to regard Aerith, quirking an eyebrow when she held up a small black bird that sat perched in her hands. He smiled when she giggled and began to pet the little creature with the utmost of gentleness, a quality that Aerith had acquired from her deceased mother. He pulled a knee up to his chest and chuckled when the little bird began to chirp and hop from the brunette's shoulder to her arm and back again. He took the moment to watch how much happiness that Aerith had when she was a child, something that he could not fully give her when he raised her in Traverse Town.  
  
He smiled when the bird suddenly took flight from Aerith's hands and was about to turn back to watching the sun again when his senses dully protested. Something was not right. He looked around his surroundings, trying to pick out what seemed to shift in his mind that made the breeze fall silent and the lifts around him stop suddenly. His gaze could pick nothing out of the ordinary so he turned his attention back to Aerith to make sure that the little girl was still alright under his watch.  
  
She was kneeling down, running some chalk over the stone to form a picture. She was completely absorbed in the activity, one that she enjoyed almost as much of having stories told to her. Her shining aqua eyes met his and the smile that washed over her face made his heart wrench with what he had lost. Aerith's pink dress now had acquired a few chalk marking and her cheek was smudged with dust, the pink ribbon in her hair fallen silent with no wind and her mother's precious glowing green stone nestled up with the ribbon. She was a very adorable sight, a picture perfect one if not for the shadow that seemed much too large for her small frame.  
  
Cloud felt his eyes widen as his gaze only managed to pick out the minute detail as the shadow only increased in size rapidly. His glowing gaze snapped upwards, and he could feel his jaw slipping open as his gaze met with that of the one fixed straight on him. "...Sephiroth...?" He tried to climb to his feet, if only to get in the way of the General's blade which was plainly targeted on Aerith's back, but his movements seemed to be painfully slow when compared to the speed which Sephiroth was falling from the sky with. He let out a pained cry as Aerith lifted her head to regard him, their gazes meeting just as the General hit the mark, the silver-haired man's blade impaling through the child's back and sinking deep into the stone beneath her. "Aerith! No!"  
  
As soon as the blade met with flesh, Cloud was on his feet. He watched as Sephiroth's head slowly lifted to regard him, their glowing gazes meeting as the silver-haired man pulled the blade from Aerith's back, feeling his jaw tighten as the little girl's body disintegrated into white feathers that were blown away by a sudden wind that picked up. All that remained of the little child was the small glowing stone that had been Aerith's mother's keepsake that was lazily rolling towards him. Cloud instinctively reached for his blade at his side, only to find that it was not to where he had left it.  
  
"Looking for something, my precious?" Sephiroth resheathed Masamune as his side and enjoyed Cloud's panicked look as the blonde searched for a sword. He took a few steps towards the blonde, gaze passing fondly over the young warrior. When Cloud's attention shifted back to him, he gestured to the stopped lift a few meters away, smirking as the blonde took a step towards where the large sword was balanced precariously. "I took the liberty of unarming you. I don't want to have to use excessive force to cage you, MY Cloud."  
  
Cloud turned his gaze to Sephiroth, gaze running over the man's distinctive different clothes though the black wing resting against the silver-haired man's shoulder was all too familiar for him. He took another step towards where his sword was, gaze fixed on the element that he knew for a fact was not part of his dream. How could have Sephiroth found him so quickly? Another step towards his sword, eyes narrowing as Sephiroth took another step towards him. "This is impossible. You can't be here. This is a dream."  
  
"Nightmare actually, thanks to me." Sephiroth smirked cruelly and followed the blonde's steps with steps of his own, quickly closing the distance between them. It appeared that Cloud could get a bit rattled when the blonde was shocked. He was amused that Cloud's appearance had remained in the blonde's old form, no wing or demonic hand gracing the blonde's features. "You looked surprised to see me. I have been watching you for a very long time, Cloud, just like I promised that I would when you killed me." Sephiroth took a much larger step towards the blonde, almost within touching distance. "I have waited for this moment for years, and I now I have you just where I want you, cornered and with no way of spreading your wings to escape me, little canary."  
  
Cloud took the biggest chance of his career and turned his back to Sephiroth as he leapt for his sword, fingers brushing the hilt of the blade before the air left his lungs as Sephiroth's long sword smashed into his ribs. He gasped for breath as he was sent flying away from any structure that he could grab onto, shaking his head as he plummeted towards the water below. He eventually found his breath in time to have the collar of his shirt grabbed, and he was slammed roughly into the smooth stone wall, gritting his teeth as a body pressed close to his to hold him in place. "Release...me...you're supposed to be dead..."  
  
Sephiroth chuckled softly and pressed his knee into the small of the Cloud's back, one hand running over the silky locks of blonde hair before grabbing hold of some of the younger man's hair. "You can't kill what owns you, my precious Cloud. I never break my promises, and I long ago promised that you would be my property." He pulled the blonde's head back where he could better whisper in Cloud's, running a fond finger over the lobe. "Mine. You have always been mine, always will be mine no matter how much you deny me. There is nothing about you that I do not own. From the tallest spike on your blonde head to shoes that bind your feet in protection...I have placed claim over it all."  
  
Cloud placed his arms against the wall and shoved back as roughly as his could, trying to dislodge the insane General, grimacing when Sephiroth's knee dug deeper into his back. He resisted stubbornly when the silver-haired man attempted to pin his shoulders to the wall, pushing back against the strength, refusing to give in without a fight. He groaned when Sephiroth took his stubbornness as an opportunity to slam his head into the wall, feeling his the strength in his arms falter in that moment and his shoulders joined his cheek against the cool stone. "I won't let it end...not like this..."  
  
"You are right about that. It won't end with you pinned against a wall, but it will end with me as the victor." Sephiroth released his hold on the blonde's shoulders and began to remove one of his leather gloves, a cruel smirk gracing his elegant features. He roughly tugged Cloud's thick sleeveless sweater out of the blonde's belted pants, chuckling at the younger man's protests. He let his bare hand run over the warm flesh of the blonde's back, slowly tracing up Cloud's spine, smiling when the blonde tensed considerably at their skin-to-skin contact. His hand shifted off of the blonde's spine, fingers tracing over to where Cloud's heart lay bound in flesh, putting more weight behind his hold on the younger man. "My little canary, how much you need to grow...You fought the darkness for too long. Let me help ease your fighting spirit into a soft sleep...."  
  
Cloud struggled hard, attempting to wriggle out of the silver-haired man's tight grip on his neck, nearly succeeding too. He felt all of the muscles in back suddenly tense as the warmth in Sephiroth's bare hand disappearing, leaving a freezing cold appendage touching his skin, his mind all too familiar with this feeling. His struggles only intensified as he felt the cool caress of dark energy along his shoulder blade, unable to suppress a hoarse cry of pain as the former General's hand cut through his muscle and bone as if it were paper, biting his lip as he felt to warm wash of blood spattering over his flesh and sweater. He attempted to struggle, but he was forced to lean heavily on the wall as Sephiroth appeared to find his mark, a cold hand wrapping almost tenderly around his beating heart. "I...won't...die...like this..." He whispered as he attempted to get his arms to push him away from the wall again.  
  
Sephiroth smiled and shifted himself to the side, leaning in close to whisper in the blonde's ear. "Again, you are right, Cloud. You won't die from this; I won't let you die on me now. You WILL be mine." He shifted his hand as if to insinuate his point, smirking when the blonde refused to cry out in pain for him. He wrapped an his other arm around Cloud's neck, pulling the blonde closer to his body as he set to work to place his claim over his property. He smiled as the walls that Cloud had place upon his heart to hide it away and protect it slowly began to tremble and break down as he placed his powers of darkness against them. "You are very lucky that this is a dream, or it would be much more painful...and more difficult for me. Your mind is less skilled than your body, little one. Your heart will fall into darkness."  
  
"...Never..." Cloud rasped out as his body convulsed in pain as he tried to escape the General's strong hold on him. His breathing began to come in gulping breathes as he resisted the slowly creeping darkness, feeling the despair of his carefully constructed walls were broken down as if they supporting a tremendous weight against them. He failed of hold in a shriek of unbearable pain as the hold on his struggling light tightened and the darkness broke through. He concentrated on defending himself, feeling as though he were backed into a corner against a much greater foe than he had ever faced before. He couldn't help but feel the weight of this battle, the despair that washed to all corners of his mind and started to draw him down. "No...stop..." Cloud shuddered as the coldness surrounding his heart spread throughout his body, a sign to his mind that he was losing this battle. "STOP...!!"  
  
"You can't win, and you are now realizing it. Just let yourself go and give in to what you already know will be the future. Give in the darkness, Cloud. Allow yourself to feel the cool embrace of real power." Sephiroth whispered soothingly into the blonde's ear, smirking when Cloud issued a cry of pain as a demonic wing made its appearance. He wrapped his own wing around the blonde as if to shade Cloud from everything but himself. Soon, he noted the demonic wing of the present make its own appearance, and he knew that he had beaten the blonde. He could feel Cloud's hold slipping away, the blonde now clawing desperately to hold some part together. Sephiroth redoubled his efforts, wanting to capture the innocent light for his own desires as he held all claim over Cloud and the blonde would have no choice but to submit to him.  
  
'Cloud! Cloud Cloud, look at my picture!'  
  
Cloud felt a small distant voice in the back of his mind, slowly opening his eyes.  
  
'Look at the pretty dress daddy gave me, Cloud! Don't I look all pretty! Look, look!'  
  
Again, the small childish voice called, this time a little bit closer. Cloud shifted his cheek against the stone wall, his eyes sluggishly scanning his surroundings. Most of his gaze was filled with the man holding his body.  
  
'You're going away, aren't you? You are going after the rumor that I know that you've heard. Cloud...?'  
  
The voice sounded like a grown woman, but its caring gentleness made Cloud feel loved again.  
  
'I suppose that if I can't convince you to stay, then I have no choice but to give you this. Take it, Cloud. My mother always said that it would keep me safe, and now I want you to be safe so I want you to have it.'  
  
Cloud grudgingly moved his head, shifting his cheek from where he had rested it, vaguely aware that Sephiroth's hold on his neck tightened considerably, almost to the point of choking him. As quickly as his numb brain could force his freezing muscles, he lifted his chin, looking up the way that he had fallen what seemed so long ago. He slowly became aware that something was falling, a small glowing object. At first, he could not begin to think about what could be falling, but his eyes widened as he finally realized that the stone that Aerith had given him was descending towards him, beckoning him to catch it. However, he simply did not have the energy to lift a hand, rather he watched the glowing aqua stone approach rapidly, seeming to slow as it was only a small distance away.  
  
Sephiroth growled in frustration as his progressed was slowed as it appeared that the blonde was giving a last stand, but such a thing simply should not be. He felt Cloud slipping more into his grasp when suddenly the blonde shifted and the warm began to return to the younger man's skin. "No, you're mine. Nothing will stop me now." His gaze shifted as Cloud looked up, moving to follow what had caught the blonde's attention, eyes narrowing as a small glowing stone fell from the sky. He instantly recognized it as the stone that had remained behind after he murdered Cloud's adoptive daughter. "You can't have him. Cloud is mine, my own, my only. I will give him to no one!"  
  
'CLOUD!!!' The small childish voice rang out throughout the dream, reaching every corner of the small dreamscape. The one voice was suddenly overtaken by a larger, most forceful voice, one that was composed of many voices. 'Ours! The planet guards this child! Leave, accursed one!'  
  
Sephiroth snarled angrily as a blinding light exploded from the small stone, covering his eyes with one hand as he was blown back, his hold on Cloud released grudgingly. He caught himself and hovered in the air, slowly pulling hand away to watch where the blonde must have fallen. He was angered to find the blonde curled in a ball, hovering in the air and surrounded by a glowing aqua light, the stone still shining brightly. His eyes narrowed in anger as the wound in the blonde's back healed and all of his precious work was replaced with glowing aqua energy that surged with what felt like anger at him, forcing him to keep his distance from the unconscious blonde. He growled when he was forced to cover his eyes again as a wave of blinding aqua light burst from the stone. When he could see again, he nearly screamed in unabashed anger to find that Cloud was no where in sight.  
  
He was furious that he was left hovering with no sign of his properties whereabouts. He was so close! How could this have happened? He growled and clenched his fists, reserving himself to fume over his nearly successful claim over the blonde. "I won't give up. He's mine. Mine!"  
  
'Our gifted child is protected once more. No darkness will claim his heart so long as we are present to give him our strength, the strength of the planet. Let his journey continue. Not even the Promised Land will hold him for we will not our warrior slip from the realm of the living. He is our final salvation, our hope, our memories...Let the gifted child fight!'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Bwhahahahahaha! That went better than I expected. Sorry to end that chapter there. It might have been a bit mean of me, but I wanted to bring in more elements of why Cloud's heart remains untouched by the darkness. Of course, I enjoyed the Sephiroth action too. I hope that I wrote a better chapter when compared to the last one.  
  
I was thinking about how I could pull Final Fantasy VII into it and find a reason for the lines that Sephiroth says when you fight him in the game. I think I might have found a way, and I hope that it makes some semblance of sense.  
  
Oh, for those of you that are confused about the attack the Sephiroth used against Belle because it took me a long time to figure it out what he was saying, it is not actually called 'Sin Harvest' as I'm sure many of us actually heard. Thanks to Usagi sending me the sound clip, one can strain to hear what he actually said, which was 'Descend Heartless Angel'. Hard to hear, I know, especially when you are running for you life when he uses it in the game and it might be hard to hear above your own panicking screams. 


	5. Shadows of the Past

Darkness Rising  
  
By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
Author's Note: Well, I have been doing some serious thinking about this fic and unfortunately, I have a few announcements/questions to ask my readers. First off, because I personally don't want to be writing 50 chapters and you probably don't want to be reading that many, I've decided to increase the length of my chapters to consume more of the plot running around. I apologize for this, but I find it necessary in order to make my chapters more full of juicy plot and detail. This new little detail will probably be implemented for the next chapter.  
  
Secondly, as many of you have probably noted, there are more than a few sexual innuendoes popping up every once in awhile, more of Sephiroth's end than Cloud's end. I hadn't intended to make it such, and I'm not sure if I should wander down that road. My friend keeps pointing out 'Wow, the yaoi-o-meter just sky-rocketed during that scene!' I'm toying with staying on the road of non-yaoi pairing or slowly making my way down there. Any comments? Any 'aye' or 'nay'? I'd love to hear from you guys!  
  
Chapter 4 - Shadows of the Past  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"General, sir."  
  
Sephiroth turned from reading over the report in his hands, gaze fixing on the older man in front of him. His gaze quickly shifted from Leokas Gast to the young man standing behind the brown-haired man's shoulder. He quirked an eyebrow of disinterest, not in the mood to deal with feverish children wishing to follow in his footprints and pester him at all hours. He grunted softly his acknowledgement of Leokas' presence, switching his gaze back to the paper in his hands; he had work to do before he was introduced to Ansem's newest recruit. He was looking forward to shifting some of his heavily dutied schedule to another man, hopeful one that showed some signs of competence.  
  
"Sir, this young man is Cloud Strife." Leokas noted Sephiroth's disinterest in the blonde man at his shoulder. He passed a warm smile to the teenager, gesturing that the blonde should step forward. When Cloud remained back watching the General, he once more regarded his commander. "General, Strife here is Lord Ansem's newest recruit to our squad. He is very skilled with a blade, despite his lack of summers. I've seen him fight, sir, and I was..."  
  
"If I wanted to sit for idle chatter about a little boy, I would have asked you. Luckily, I did not so I ask that you refrain from blowing this..." Sephiroth looked back Leokas to the blonde again, his gaze moving more slowing over the youth to make sure that he had taken in all the details of skill that outwardly showed. When he found little that impressed him, he turned his glowing aqua gaze back to the older man. "...child's skills out of proportion. I doubt his skills have been fully tested, and he has much growing to do."  
  
Leokas nodded slowly, fully aware of the strain that his commander was under, giving Sephiroth an uncaring attitude. "With all do respect sir, Strife defeated Ricdak." He lifted his chin when the General's head came up sharply to regard him. Ricdak was one of the best Royal Guards that had ever used a blade save for the General himself. "Not only did he defeat Ricdak, but Strife did it in less than five minutes and only unsheathed his blade twice." Leokas took a step to the side and fully revealed their newest edition to the squad, though he noted that the blonde was looking rather modest at his praise. "Lord Ansem witnessed the fight, sir. He promoted Strife out of the general ranks right into the Royal Guards."  
  
Sephiroth let his attention drift to the blonde standing in front of him. He took a few steps towards this youth, scanning the blonde's facial features as if trying to place the boy's lineage. As far as he could tell, this youth was a rare gem in a sea of commoners, probably having sulked from the peasant class. Despite this, he did recognize the accent of certain features, the unruly blonde locks were much more pronounced, the cobalt eyes were set in a younger face, but the rest of the features seemed to blend away in the casing given to this boy by his mother. "Who's your father, boy?"  
  
"Walian Strife, sir." The blonde spoke evenly, hiding all signs of emotion away.  
  
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, the name ringing in his ears as if he had seen the man yesterday. However, that would never be so since Walian had died tragically several years ago during a skirmish in the lower city, but it appeared that the man had not failed to father a son, one that Sephiroth had never heard of. He was not one to be interested in the chatter of his men though, but to come face-to-face with a good soldier's child impressed him of the dead man's ability to keep secrets of such a nature. He looked the blonde over with a new regard for potential skill and nodded to himself. He would be sure to watch this boy fight if the blonde was at all as skilled as Walian. "How old are you, Strife?"  
  
"Fifteen, sir." Again, the blonde's voice remained neutral in his reply. He watched as the General took a step back to regard him as if he were an insect under inspection before being stomped on, something that he would not allow. He had not fought hard to get to this point only to be tossed aside by one of the greatest fighters that ever lived. He rowed that he would be as good as General Sephiroth someday. He felt his jaw tighten when the General glanced skeptically at Leokas as if to confirm his age. "Sir, I will be sixteen within a month...the eleventh of next month to be exact."  
  
"Same day as your father, I see." Sephiroth smirked coolly when the blonde rocked back slightly. He made a habit to learn about most of the generic details of all of the men under his control, sometimes even researching personality traits that he felt could prove a problem when dealing with other guards. He wanted harmony amoung his men and the best way to do that was to know exactly where to place them and with who. He prided himself with his abilities to know where each man was weak in order to best preserve that man's life in the call of duty, but he also liked to know such details so that he would never be caught flat-footed when confronted with an assessment of one of his men. He never wanted to have one of his guards go undefended if at all possible, and he personally defeated each and everyone of them should the circumstances allow. His men were one of his main duties, and he was sure that it would remain that way until the day the Promised Land greeted him.  
  
Sephiroth cleared his throat and glanced at Leokas, nodding the dark-haired man closer. "Leokas, take Strife around to where he will be performing his duties and making his rounds. Should any man comment on this boy's age, speak no word against it. Strife will have to learn his place and work his way up the ladder if he wants any respect amoung his fellows. Get Strife a uniform and have him come to me for his guarding schedule on the sparring ring." He turned his back to the blonde and walked away, going back to his other, more pressing duties. He would be sure to test this whelp and show the boy his place in the ranks. He was certain that this spar would be a popular one to watch for his men as he did not often choose to beat on a new recruit so quickly. However, he was doing this to show the boy order and to catch glimpses of weakness that could be used against the blonde in a threatening situation. He needed to know these details before setting up where he wanted the blonde, and if Ricdak fell to this boy, then there was a need for him to see for himself what Walian's child could do.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud lay quietly in his bed, glowing eyes staring straight up at the stone ceiling as if the rocks held the answers that he was searching for. He ran a hand over his chest, wincing as his breast throbbed and his heart seemed to gallop when his fingers passed over where his nightmare had faded away. His limbs still felt cold like he had swam in icy waters, but his skin was warm to the touch, and he was covered in a thin layer of sweat. His gaze remained transfixed on the stone above him as his body and mind seemed to be attempting to sort through the damage it had suffered, not entirely certain if it had suffered any damage at all.  
  
Slowly, after letting time slip by him for awhile, he sat up and ran a hand over his face and through his hair, rubbing his stiff neck gently. His muscles screamed in burning agony when he tried to move too quickly, and he was in no mood to deal with the tangle of silk sheets that wrapped around his body and held him in place. He set to work removing the material clinging to his body, tugging sparsely in frustration to his lack of productivity and the muscles that seemed to beg for more rest. He ignored his body's aches and protests and eventually managed to get himself free enough where he could climb to his feet, growling to find that beneath the sheet, he wore nothing at all. Again, he ignored such details and padded slowly towards his neatly folded clothing, grudgingly pulling on his trousers before wandering back to his bed.  
  
His gaze fixed on the glowing aqua stone that Aerith had given him a few months back as it lay snuggled in the dishevelled sheets next to a sleeping Panic. He wondered how it had gotten into the bed considering he often hid the item away from prying eyes; he doubted anyone knew he had it. He reached out as he sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the small keepsake, rolling its minor weight around in the palm of his hand before staring at it. He felt a strange energy coursing through the small stone, pulsing softly as if it were trying to warm his flesh again. He took comfort in its warmth and familiarity as his mind wandered back to his dream-like confrontation.  
  
He now knew beyond a doubt that Sephiroth was alive and was closer to him than he would like to admit. He had been completely knocked off guard by the silver-haired man's appearance in what was supposed to be a place of solitude for him away from all the headaches. His shock at finding Sephiroth so nearby and so obviously determined to hold some sort of claim over him led to his own show of weakness. He had been taken by surprise, lost his weapon without noticing, underestimated the silver-haired man's speed and accuracy, made assumptions about his fall, and unwittedly been overpowered at every turn until he had nearly lost himself to the lure of the darkness around him. He cursed himself for his own foolishness, that he should have seen this sort of attack coming since he confirmed the silver-haired man's living state. However, he had stupidly thought himself safe under Hades and in a place where Sephiroth could not find him. He would never forgive this act of stupidity on his part, nor would he turn his back to the problem that nearly cost him his life. Sephiroth's determination and fast-action had indicated just how insane the man was, but it also pointed to the fact that he was still the silver-haired man's target, not Aerith or any of his other acquaintances. He simply knew that this would not be their last meeting, and he would have to be ready for the next one.  
  
He gently ran a hand over his heart, working to rebuild the walls that he had lost in his mental battling. He noted a small fading bruise, and he assumed that he had a much larger one on his back where Sephiroth had rammed his fist, a feeling he would rather do without during their next meeting. Aside from the bruise, only his muscles seemed to have been injured, rather, not injured, but worked to an extreme point of exhaustion. His arms and neck were stiff and aching, demanding that he rest himself. He ran a hand over his shoulders in an attempt to relax the painfully tense muscles with little success. Sephiroth had rattled him to the point of interfering with his concentration and generally lax state.  
  
Slowly, he climbed back to his feet and walked back to where a full-length mirror rested against the stone wall, placing down the small stone back on top of his clothing. He checked his appearance over, noting how pale he had become during the night. His hands seemed to shake with effort, as if waiting for Sephiroth to step out of the shadows and attack him again. He turned so that his back was visible to the mirror, looking over his shoulder to confirm what his aching muscles already told him. A large black and purple bruise smeared his tanned flesh just below his shoulder blade, a dark foreboding of what could have been had he not escaped from the nightmare he had been trapped unwillingly in. Luckily, his shoulder had not swollen under the blow and only the bruise indicated the encounter, though he wondered why an act in a dream reflected on his flesh long after it ended. He sighed as he stretched his back, wincing as the bruised flesh protested angrily, about to walk away and fully cloth himself when something seemly insignificant caught his eye.  
  
Had he not been tired and cranky, he would have noticed it a lot earlier. It appeared as the bruise above it did, a mark that marred his flesh and was easily dismissible. Smaller than half of his palm and considerably darker than the bruise, it showed on his lower back as a tattoo normally would, except, he had never placed a tattoo on any part of himself. He edged closer to mirror to better investigate the black symbol, knowing that he paled a few more shades were it possible as recognition dawned on him. It was in the shape of an elaborately decorated 'M' that appeared to have almost a winged appearance to it, a symbol that Sephiroth often used to mark himself back on Hollow Bastion. Its fine, crisp lines could not be denied as coincidence, and it was another hard blow to swallow after such a rough night. Sephiroth might not have gotten his heart, but the silver-haired man had certainly marked him as if he were property. It appeared that he really hadn't fully awakened from his nightmare.  
  
"Damn you...I'll find you, and we will settle this once and for all. It will be over my cold dead corpse that you own me." Cloud was staring at the mirror as if he weren't actually seeing his own reflection in it. He clenched his demonic hand and set the walls around his emotions back into place. He would never let Sephiroth have his way so long as he lived. "You didn't win back then, and you won't win now."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth waited patiently for the newest recruit to appear at his side. He listened to the buzzing of gossip all around him in the sparring ring, more guards than usual hanging around like vultures over a kill. He knew that the rumour of the impending battle had spread like wildfire throughout the ranks, rumours that the great General would be beating up a fifteen-year-old recruit who had impressed Lord Ansem. Yet, he had kept to himself when shifting gaze moved to his back as he worked to nicks out of his blade, as though he were sitting in the sparring square for practise.  
  
He remained with his back to the entrance as all of the voices died down to a dull whisper, and he could hear the voice of Leokas speaking about the history of how this open dirt arena came about. Again, he completely ignored the two as they approached, still working with his enormous blade. It was not until Leokas walked with the young blonde to the middle of the arena that he took to his feet and listened as Leokas started to point out various rooms that slipped off into the two buildings that flanked the sparring arena. He walked casually over to the pair, noting the size of the blade that the blonde had sheathed. He waited calmly as the older man finished talking about the arena, acutely aware of the blonde's gaze shifting back to him as if their new recruit expected an attack.  
  
Leokas turned to regard his commander, saluting respectfully when he had the General's attention. "Sir, Strife has become familiar with his surroundings. Are there any other duties you ask of me for Cloud, sir?"  
  
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow at the use of the blonde's first name, an act that simply spelled out Leokas' liking for the youth. Men had to earn the use of their first name in the ranks. "Yes, please arrange living courters for Strife in the East Wing." He switched his gaze to the blonde looking at the dirt on the ground and kicking at it occasionally. "Strife, I have arranged your guard schedule for the week. I may make changes depending on your abilities to perform the duties assigned to you. Understood?"  
  
"Yes, sir." Cloud glanced off to the side, noting the mass amount of guards that seemed to just be standing around watching him, meaning that something was up. He let his gaze return to the dust that had collected on his boots, lightly smacking them together to remove as much as possible without looking rude. He immediately pulled away when the General lifted his chin, taking a step back cautiously, all too aware that a lot of the men around wished failure on him because of his lack of summers. He wouldn't fail though; he promised his ailing mother that he would surpass everyone and become the greatest swordsman that ever lived.  
  
He took another step back when the General took a step forward to cover the distance change between them. He repeated this until the General did not take a step towards him, shying away to stand with his back to the unpopulated area of the arena so the silver-haired man was looking at his profile. Again, his gaze returned to the dirt at his feet, waiting to get pummelled at any moment.  
  
"This is no way for a Royal Guard to act, Strife." Sephiroth watched as the youth appeared to get a little skittish and sighed heavily. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, boy." He smirked when deep blue eyes slowly lifted to regard him, a torrent of emotion shifting in those endless pools. He was immediately aware that the blonde suspected what would come next, the youth probably afraid of losing face with his commanding officer, or worse, Lord Ansem. "You look nervous, Strife. Any problems?"  
  
Cloud slowly shook his head. "No, sir." He heard the sing of a blade and immediately turned his back on the General, taking the clang of metal against metal as a sign to flip forwards several times, swivelling on one foot to face the silver-haired man. His left hand was immediately on his enormous blade, swinging it elegantly in a wide arc until his rested in front of him, forcing the General to stop and regard him. "I don't want to fight you, sir."  
  
Sephiroth smirked coolly at the blonde, slightly impressed with the youth's speed. "You mean, you don't want to lose to me." He cocked his head to the side when the blonde's head snapped up and regarded him with an equally cool aura, immediately aware that he had pushed a few buttons on the youth. So, the blonde was cocky and overly confident in his skills. Sephiroth tucked that small piece of information away as he resheathed his blade at his side and took a few steps towards the blonde again.  
  
Cloud set his footing, gaze following each movement that the General made. He shifted his blade so that the large flat side faced the silver-haired man as his ears picked out the cutting of air, some of the General's movements too fast to see. He was forced to lean back with the blows that held more strength than he had ever faced with an opponent, more speed, and more skill from anyone he had ever faced before. He idly smiled when he thought about how jealous the other boys would be over the fact that he managed to speak with and even fight General Sephiroth. However, that small distraction cost him his defense which the General smashed through easily and knocked him flying a few feet back.  
  
Sephiroth resheathed his sword and followed the flying youth, smirking when the blonde tumbled to the ground sending up a cloud of dust. He wanted to finish this battle quickly so that the other men were not so afraid of a little arrogant boy. He found himself slightly surprised to find that behind the dust cloud, the blonde was already back standing up and fully defensive, his sword striking the edge of the youth's enormous blade. He jumped back a few feet to assess the situation, coming to the quick conclusion that this boy had victories that were determined on speed and agility rather than strength. He had yet to see any real skill out of the blonde, aside from a good defensive stance with limited openings for an attacker. He smiled as the blonde took measures to keep the distance between them, now walking in a perfect circle around each other.  
  
"Cloud, do that move that you used to defeat Ricdak. I have a desire to witness it again." Both fighters stopped their battle to regard their Lord who had just appeared to watch. He already knew the fate of this fight, seeing as Sephiroth had never been defeated and Cloud needed to be trained up on certain skills. However, if he could catch his General's attention on the boy, there was a chance that Sephiroth would willingly teach the youth. If he could work it as such, he would do so if only to have two of the most powerful swordsmen at his disposal. He smiled genuinely at the blonde and nodded his approval. "Show our General what makes you good for your position."  
  
Cloud took in a deep breath and resheathed his sword on his back, bending to catch a handful of dirt which he smeared over his hands to keep his grip tight on his blade. He almost completely ignored the General as he rose back to his feet, turning himself more sideways as he reached back and grabbed the hilt of his blade again. He let his gaze fix on his intended target as the General turned to regard him, eyes narrowing as he felt his muscles tense with readiness. He took one step forward. "Give me strength to crush my enemies...Omnislash!"  
  
Sephiroth felt his body tense the moment to word left the blonde's lips, eyes narrowing as the youth was suddenly only a few feet in front of him and the blonde's blade was swinging down in a manner that embodied tremendous strength and speed. He slipped to the side, feeling the wind wash over him the blonde's blade passed through the spot he had once been, gaze falling on the youth's footsteps as the strike didn't finish with one fast hit. He did not have much time to study what he was up against, only used his instincts to avoid the much too skilled sword slashes that almost always met with flesh. He thought that the wild combination of slashes was over when the blonde jumped back, moving in to the opening that the youth left to finish this battle, only to be surprised that the boy was not quite finished and leapt at him with the enormous blade raised high. He swung his own blade to counter the movement and smash into the blonde, but he again was surprised by the sheer strength behind the hit, his blade dipping below before catching the youth in his side, sending the blonde flying again. He immediately advanced after the blonde, letting his blade come to rest against the youth's throat.  
  
Cloud glanced over to where he had lost his hold on his sword, gritting his teeth when the blade against his throat pushed in threateningly. Slowly, he raised his hands in defeat, looking down at his dirty hands in dismay. In fact, his entire body was covered in a thin layer of dust with the occasional fleck of blood one of the many scrapes he'd received when he hit the ground. He wiped one of his cheeks with the back of his hand, succeeding in smearing more dirt than he removed. Slowly, he looked around at all the people staring at him where he sat in a cloud of dust.  
  
He had managed to make a fool of himself in front of all of his peers, including Lord Ansem who had thought he had skill. Obviously, he had a lot more learning to do before he would be ready to make guard rounds, especially considering it took him only two sword hits from the General to defeat him. How was he supposed to be a great swordsman if he suffered such a humiliating defeat? He feared that the other boys in his neighbourhood would be bound to laugh at him for his stupidity into thinking that giving up his idolizing the General for his own arrogant self would help him defeat the hero. He had practiced so hard to not be exactly like the General, but his efforts had only gotten him a roll in the dirt.  
  
"On your feet, Strife." Sephiroth watched the youth slowly stand, looking the boy over for any injury. It appeared that only the blonde's pride had been damaged in their exchange, despite how well the young man had done against him. Most guards did not last passed the first blow, let alone be able to counterattack against him. He admitted that there was more to this boy than just a bit of speed and a big sword; Walian's child had skill and fierce determination, determined to do what he would have to look into at a later date. He reached out and patted the youth on the shoulder. "You're not bad, boy. Not many can still stand after I've hit them."  
  
"Not many can injure our General either." Ansem gestured to the silver-haired man's shoulder, lifting his chin as all eyes fixed on the General. "Even you must admit Cloud is good, General. A gem like him does not walk through the front door very often. I believe he is only a year or two younger than you were when you waltz into my courtyard."  
  
Sephiroth looked at the metal shoulder pad, eyes narrowing as his gaze fell on a deep scratch that nearly cut through the strong material. He lifted a hand to investigate the mark, eyes shifting to his arm where a small, miniscule scratch had appeared through his leather jacket. He touched the wound as if it were a phantom thing, his mind somewhat denying that there was a mark on his flesh given to him by a mere child. His gaze switched to the blonde who looked about as shocked as the dead silent guards standing around him. "...Im...possible..." He breathed out slowly, as he looked at the wound again.   
  
He never thought he would see the day when he felt his own skills were lacking something, but as he looked at the blonde youth in front of him, he found something about himself falling short somehow. He could not place what it was, but it suddenly came to his attention that there was something that this boy had that he did not. He never thought that he would ever reach a day where Lord Ansem would praise a child over him, an indication that everyone was taken with this boy. Was his reign threatened, or was this boy a mere copycat like the others before him? That skill that the boy had used indicated that he might be more than a copycat that idolized him. He admitted that he was stumped as to how to react to this new turn of events. Should he be angry and remove the blonde before it was too late, or should he be interested in the fact that this boy could actually provide a challenge for him?  
  
A real opponent... Somewhere, behind all the shock and denial, it was a phrase with a very nice ring to it.  
  
He had forgotten what a real opponent looked like. He had forgotten what a challenge to his skills felt like. He had forgotten what being left in mystery as to the victor of a fight could be like.  
  
How had he forgotten such things? Were they even worth letting his mind touch on? What would it feel like to allow the blonde youth to nurture skill and provide him with a challenge to his own skills?  
  
"...a real opponent...?" He whispered softly, feeling the words as they passed over his tongue.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"He's mine! He's always been mine since the day I allowed his miserable existence to persist past the age of fifteen! No one will have him but me! Mine! My opponent! My challenge! Mine, mine, MINE!!!!" Sephiroth spat each word venomously as his sword blade cut through anything that was in front of his swing. He had actually managed to make it from the room he had been placed in and now raged in the vast plains of the Underworld, furious over his lost chance to grab his property.  
  
How could this have happened? Why would the planet be keeping watch over Cloud?  
  
His furious thoughts jumped from one question to the next as he settling into just rending listless souls that strayed into his path, now using his gloved hands rather than putting in effort to swing his sword. His mind was clouded with the last moments of the dream, each moment playing over in painfully slow motion, from the moment when the blonde screamed for him to stop to the moment when he was ejected from the blonde's mind and back into his own body. He was angered at the symphony of voices that spoken in unison, the only reason that Cloud was not currently his property. However, he was angrier that he could not do anything about his frustration aside from killing the souls that wandered around; he could not find Cloud and vent a bit of frustration, or he would void his contract and lose access to the blonde altogether. Such thoughts only added to the anger that he felt for having the perfect opportunity stolen away from right in between his fingers.  
  
He eventually settled his anger down in a simmering mass at the back of his mind where it could be ignored while he forced himself to regard some aspects of the dream in a more analytical manner. As he had done when he was commander of the Royal Guards, he went over every detail of the dream, his actions, and his eventual loss of his hold on Cloud. Not a single detail, not even the far away lapping of water against stone, went unnoted and unscrutinized. He began to break the large aspects of the dream down into chewable sections.  
  
His attention first slipped over the fact of the blonde's weak points during the dream. It was obvious that he had completely caught the younger man off-guard. He had only managed to catch Cloud so vulnerable a handful of times over the entirety that he had known the blonde, and Cloud had often recovered a lot faster. This small glitch in the blonde could have been caused by a number of things, but it had inevitably led to Cloud's capture easier than he had expected. He was almost certain that it was not all of the younger man's doing, rather, he was suspicious that Hades might have broken down of few of the Cloud's walls through the manner of knocking the blonde unconscious. So, he could pass the lack of power as an unfavourable coincidence that had lifted any sort of challenge from the blonde's capture.  
  
Next, his mind jumped over to the very obvious question of why the planet would be protecting Cloud. Since Hades was the god of the Underworld and there was Demeter as the goddess of the Earth, he could mostly assume that it was not their current planet that had protected the blonde. As far as he knew, Cloud had only stepped on Traverse Town and Hollow Bastion, meaning that it was probably one of those two planets. He almost completely passed of Traverse Town seeing as the blonde was rarely seen in public and had shown no real connection to that world. That left Sephiroth with the only planet that really made some sense, Hollow Bastion, their home planet. He would need to research to say for absolute certain, but for now, he felt safe to assume, especially considering Cloud's dreamscape was the palace.  
  
Of course, now he needed to figure out why Hollow Bastion would be protecting a mere mortal who excelled with two things, taking orders and fighting. His mind laced over all possibilities, yet he was not happy with the options that came to mind.  
  
He forced himself to more look at what Cloud could offer a planet. He knew that the blonde was a strong fighter, an intelligent guard with strong self-morals, and a mostly likeable person once the blonde's walls were broken down. He was aware that Cloud had never found any interest in women and had never taken on any sort of vaguely sexual relationships despite the constant attempts by some of the female guards to do so. He had watched how much Cloud had remained solitary, only leaving the palace when ordered or when it was required for personal matters. Most of the blonde's free time was spent in general solitude either sparring or sitting quietly on his own, a fact that had caught his interest most of all. He had watched as most of the other guards were taken with the blonde, often taking Cloud's silence as a joke to be laughed at. He all but gritted his teeth to admit that the blonde might have made a better commanding officer, but it was painfully clear that Cloud did not want such responsibilities. No, Cloud would much rather be standing on the same pedestal with him as an equal, a small bit of information that had sometimes made him want to throttle the life out of the blonde for his audacity. Perhaps it was Cloud's individuality and often stubborn manners that the planet liked.  
  
Sephiroth felt the slowly fading anger flare up slightly as he thought over all of the qualities that he desired to keep under his control yet was denied at every turn that he took. What was he doing wrong? If only the blonde had fallen more quickly to his power and the walls around the blonde's heart had not been so sturdy! He would have claimed Cloud long ago if the blonde's heart wasn't so strong against the darkness....  
  
He suddenly stopped cold in his tracks as he walked along the river of Phelegthon when he appeared to have cleared his mind enough of his anger to see unclouded for a moment.  
  
Cloud's heart? Was that the key to the mystery? Had he overlooked such a small detail for too many years? It seemed so simple now that his mind played over the thoughts that cascaded over his mind. Was the planet called to protect the strength of the blonde's heart? Why and how would it know when Cloud was in danger?  
  
Slowly, the conclusions formed together into a large picture, all the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. The planet protected Cloud because of the blonde's ability to resist the darkness that had consumed the planet and had nearly taken the life of almost every Royal Guard on duty. It was probably the planet that allowed the blonde to escape mostly untouched by the effects of the Heartless, meaning that the blonde's heart had to be strong, so strong that it could fight off the effects of the all-consuming darkness. It was the blonde's heart that had managed to evade him for so long, and it was that same heart that Hades could not control.   
  
He had once read through one of his Lord's reports before the fall of his planet, almost an obsessive hobby he had developed when he could not watch the blonde. He had stumbled upon a few tid-bits of information that had been interlaced in no real order about the Heartless and those with strong hearts. He was aware that those with the strongest hearts were all women, known as the Princesses of Heart, and often possessed an innocent purity to them. These individuals were very rare, only seven in all the worlds that graced the universe. He had an odd suspicious that the woman that he had captured for Hades was one of these Princesses.  
  
Several pages later were details of those known as the strong hearts. As far as his research could tell, there was a single strong heart on every planet, a so-called protector. These strong hearts did not particularly embody any special power aside from the fact that they were often difficult to cast a shadow over. It appeared that they tended to stand out in some form or fashion, whether it be by appearance, skill, or annoyance value. He had made special note that Lord Ansem had paid close attention to the strong hearts because it appeared that they usually managed to escape from a dying world during a Heartless attack. He himself had been interested in the small scribbling about an object known as a 'key blade' which randomly selected one of these strong hearts during a time of great need to accomplish some unknown task, but it could be assumed that it involved something to do with defeating the Heartless.  
  
Could it be that little Cloud Strife was the strong heart for Hollow Bastion?  
  
Sephiroth supposed that it made sense given the blonde's reputation and attracting qualities. He remembered how Cloud had made his debut as a member of the Royal Guards at the tender age of fifteen, and he watched as the blonde excelled at almost everything at an almost inhuman rate. When Ansem had made several of the guards immortal, it was only Cloud that stepped out completely untouched by the darkness aside from glowing eyes and an ageless body. During Hollow Bastion's fall, it was Cloud that had defeated the Heartless and saved several people from an obviously gruesome demise. And after the loss of their planet, Cloud was always the one who silently vowed to liberate the planet from the control of the Heartless. Even after a second treatment of darkness, Cloud's mind remained intact and very few dark qualities had made an appearance, unlike Sephiroth. He admitted that the blonde had managed to slip between the cracks of few too many times, but now he realized why.  
  
Should Cloud be the protector of the planet of Hollow Bastion, it would be obvious as to why the planet would take actions to keep the blonde safe from harm. The planet desired liberation and only one with the ability to vanquish the Heartless would be able to do so, though he had yet to see Cloud refer to the gigantic sword as a 'key blade'. Perhaps Cloud would never be able to gain access to this 'key blade', but Sephiroth supposed that Cloud could probably do it without the object with the blonde's stubborn resoluteness. With the planet protecting Cloud, it would almost be impossible for Hades or even himself to convert the blonde over to full darkness until the Hollow Bastion was liberated. Until that time, he would only be able to keep the blonde at an arms reach.  
  
He sighed in aggravation and rubbed his temples. As far as he could tell, he really only had two options that he could do in order to further his plans to capture his property back. He could either absorb the lifeforce that was still held in Hollow Bastion and become the planet, thereby advancing towards being the sole owner of Cloud...along with the rest of the miserable life that inhabited the planet. Secondly, he could completely ignore absorbing the planet unless needed and finish his contract with Hades then make a deal with Cloud to liberate the planet in exchange for Cloud's submission to being his property until the end of time and life itself. He was not actually too sure which of his plans he like better, seeing as one involved him actually being nice to his property for a little while and not killing everything that the blonde holds dear while the other allowed him free reign to pillage, kill, and burn as much as he pleased. Of course, he could always formulate more plans depending on Cloud's actions.  
  
Silently, Sephiroth rolled back on his heels and sheathed his blade at his side. His gaze shifted around the plains that he now stood on and rested a hand on the hilt of Masamune, mind wandering with his glowing eyes. "The planet and I are to be one." He felt a cruel smirk pulled at his lips. "Cloud will eventually be forced to admit defeat to me. He is mine so such trivial matters are petty. My canary can only stretch out its wings so far before I can get close enough to subdue its free nature."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud stopped running a comb through his blonde locks when he felt clawed hands tugging insistently on his pant leg, glancing down to find Panic looking around the room nervously. He, at first, ignored the little creature and slipped the red cloak around his shoulders, making sure to cover the leathery wing that was folded neatly against his back. Eventually, he took a step away from the mirror, pulling his pant leg from an obviously insistent Panic. "What?"  
  
Panic glanced up at the blonde then looked around nervously, reaching out to grab onto Cloud's pant leg again. It inched closer and swallowed the lump in its throat. "I...uh...slept in...First time I've slept in a couple hundred years..." It looked up the distance to regard the blonde's face, flashing a toothy grin. "You have to...you know...get up to the tournament or Hades will blow his top if you're late."  
  
Cloud quirked an eyebrow and adjusted the belts around his waist to fit more snugly before walking over to the bed. He sat down quietly and began to slip into his boots, noting that Panic followed him quite closely and even attempted to belt up his other boot to quicken his pace. He shooed the little demon away and went about taking his time, making sure that he slipped into the right mind set for a small tournament. As he sat up, he found Panic sitting beside him on the bed attempting to imitate his acts and ran his fingers through his hair, smiling when Panic tried and failed to do lack of hair. Silently, he grabbed the lithe demon and set Panic on his right shoulder to sit while he walked; it annoyed him to constantly stop and start to allow Panic to keep up with him. "How long did I sleep for?"  
  
"Four days." Panic replied as it rearranged itself to dangle its skinny legs off of the blonde's shoulder. It glanced back at Cloud when it felt the blonde stiffen. "Took quite a beating too. You looked like you were having a nightmare that you couldn't escape from. I tried to get into your dream to help out, but something prevented me..."  
  
"Yeah...a nightmare." Cloud let his gaze settle on the ground beneath his feet as he walked towards the gates out of the Underworld, kicking up a bit of dirt as he went. His muscles were still sore, and he was glad that this tournament would be a snap to fulfill, though, he wasn't sure if he would be penalized for lateness. Either way, he would have no trouble winning considering he could kill the enemies he was facing with his bare hands and little effort. He reached back and rubbed his neck, trying to work the kinks from his joints. "How long do you think this tournament will last?"  
  
Panic shrugged its shoulders and played with its thin tail. "Dunno, but Hades says he's gonna watch you fight. Said he might be able to line a bit of a challenge up, but that was just before he started muttering and walking off to the Coliseum to...I think help some kid out." Again it shrugged its shoulders, brushing the information off as completely trivial in the grand scheme of things. All it was concerned about was getting Cloud up to the Coliseum on time to face off with whatever Hades had planned.  
  
Cloud stopped in front of the open gates of the Underworld, glancing around to make sure that he was not about to be ambushed by Hades' slobbering three-headed brute for a dog. When all was quiet, he took a few cautious steps outside of the Underworld, glancing around while listening for any signs of approach. When Cerberus did not make an appearance, he cocked his head to the side. As far as he knew, Cerberus never stopped guarding the gates to the Underworld. "Where's Cerberus?"  
  
"Walkies, probably." Panic grinned when the blonde looked at him in slight disbelief. "Yeah, just hope that you never get walky-duty. Hades hands that one down for punishment."  
  
Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "Could be worse."  
  
"Well...Hades insists that the Underworld be kept clean so any messes that Cerberus does, the person walking has to clean up with a baggy." Panic made small dimensional hand motions when the blonde looked at it again. "Quite a small baggy."  
  
Cloud felt his body visibly shudder. "Right, let's not talk about that anymore." He began walking again, only taking a few steps before turning to regard Panic when the little demon slipped off of his shoulder and waved at him. "You aren't coming to the Coliseum?"  
  
Panic slowly shook its head. "Hades gave me other duties to do." It turned and started to tromp back to the Underworld, stopping to regard the blonde again. "Win for me, kay?"  
  
Cloud nodded and began walking again, mind on some of the information that Panic had given him. He vaguely wondered what Hades was up to, especially when it came to helping out someone. Still, even with his muscles tired and aching, he doubted that a challenge would present itself to him during this tournament. He found this battling more of an inconvenience than anything, and he would sooner try to take on Hercules to get rid of his contract than battle stupid old Heartless. All he wanted to do was find Sephiroth and step from the nightmare that he seemed to be drowning in. Once he was not distracted with the former General, he could concentrate on how he would finally liberate Hollow Bastion from the Heartless and take back his home. However, before any of that, he needed to win a stupid tournament, and win he would.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Excellent! I have finally gotten to the point where Cloud actually enters the Kingdom Hearts game. So, now comes the battle of legends...well, not really. Now comes the battle where our hero wipes the floor with a magic-throwing duck, a slow shield-holding dog, and a short spiky kid.  
  
Like I said above, the chapters will probably be getting longer, meaning that it may take me a bit more time to get one posted depending on the length. I'm not really going to any set length, rather, I'll finish it when it seems appropriate for the plot to end. Hopefully, I'll get my Cloud/Sephiroth backstory thrown in a bit more.  
  
Right, I have also kicked this fic up to a Cloud and Sephiroth fic, instead of just elements of Sephiroth. He threatened me with a crazed look in his eyes so I agreed. I think he's reading over my shoulder...that or I'm crazy and I see things that aren't real... :P 


	6. Battling the Darkness

Darkness Rising  
  
By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
Chapter 5 - Battling the Darkness  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud kept his gaze squarely on the door in front of him, tucking his chin more securely into his red cloak. He slowly climbed the steps that would lead him into where he was certain to find the placement in the tournament that he had managed to draw. He shoved open the stone door effortlessly and entered, quirking an eyebrow to find the room empty. He wandered over the stone slab where strange lettering was etched in, cocking his head to the side as he attempted to decipher the odd characters. He scratched his head when he could make little sense of what was written.  
  
'Hey, Spiky! You're late! Bad puppy, no walkies for you!' Cloud looked around when a Hades' voice echoed in his mind, glancing around to locate the god. 'I'm not with you right now, but just meet in the entrance to the locker rooms. Oh and look tough will ya. I don't you to be pathetic today, especially since...heh, you know, it's your grand debue!' Cloud shook his head when Hades laughed much too loudly, trying to remove the voice. He had been subjected to too many people trying to get into his head in the last little while. 'Oh, I got you a great spot, Blondie! Right on the top, where I'm sure to love to be. Now all you have to do is kick a little butt and automatically qualify for the next tournament, sounds good right? Right? Hey, stop ignoring me! Don't tell me the hamster fall off the wheel again?'  
  
Cloud gritted his teeth and started through the darkened hallway that led out into the enormous Coliseum, gaze focused straight ahead as he prepared himself for battle. His gaze shifted around the gigantic fighting arena, noting every aspect of its well-chiselled appearance, a sure sign that this place had been created by the gods. The magnificent craft nearly took his breath away, but his attention was instantly drawn down the satyr that he had barely met upon his meeting along with three other occupants.  
  
His glowing gaze passed over the trio with an outward disinterest that hid the fact that he recognized these people. He noted the duck's slightly bewildered look as well as the staff that the creature held in one hand, an obvious magic-user, meaning easily defeated in armed combat. His gaze then shifted to the tallest member, a strange dog creature with an elaborate shield whose symbols he failed to recognize; it appeared that his presence did not completely register with the dog, an obvious sign to the reason this creature was a defender and not a mage. After the other two were noted, his gaze shifted to the boy staring right back at him.  
  
Cloud allowed their gazes to lock as he passed by, noting the boy's very familiar appearance. He had seen this boy when Hades had presented him to the other dimwits who spoke openly of this boy and their combined plan to toy with then remove the child. He noted at close range that the spiky brunette was probably similar to his age when he had first joined the Royal Guards, a feature that attracted his attention the most. The boy stood in lax bewilderment of him, seeming to be entranced with his aura of dominance when it came to a fighting ring. His gaze passed over the boy's appearance before looking above him as if disinterested, which was completely untrue because of the hidden power he felt radiating from the brunette.  
  
The next feature was the pull to this boy, a strange whispering in his mind as if he were being searched by a powerful source. He felt the whispers drift slowly through his mind and a power begin the gather in his right hand as if a sword were suddenly materializing. He clenched his fist tightly and forced the whispers from his mind, turning his gaze away from the trio to look out for Hades. He smirked when the satyr spoke opening about that fact that he would be a difficult opponent to beat.  
  
He cast a quick glance back at the trio before shoving open the wooden woven planked door that lead down to the locker rooms and slipped into the darkened sloping hallway. He stopped and leaned back against the stone wall so that he could watch the trio fight through the open spaces in the doorway, picking out weaknesses in the form of the boy especially. He noted that the boy was stubborn, high-strung, and obviously very loyal to his goals. He was reminded of himself at that age, making a smile pull at his lips. His smile didn't last long as Hades was suddenly beside him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet, occasionally glancing up at the fighting trio.  
  
Hades wriggled his fingers together, a toothy grin spreading across his lips. "So...I saw that nasty little dream you stumbled in a few days ago. Geez, that was rough...enjoyable to watch from the outside, but rough. You sure took it bent over from that guy. I mean, you just stared at him like a virgin looking at Zeus for the first time." He lifted his hands in a mock sign of peace when the blonde glared at him, the questioning look causing him to saunter over to Cloud and wrap a fond arm around the blonde's shoulders. "Hey, great god of the Underworld here...I know everything that happens in my realm...because you know, I'm the god and you are my faithful servant so...I got to look out for you...seeing as that's what gods do...look out for peons that serve them blindly." He smirked when the blonde tensed. "Sorry Spiky, truth hurts, I know."  
  
Cloud grunted and let his gaze drift back to the fighting trio, noting that they were doing quite well against simple Heartless. He really was not in the mood to speak about his encounter with Sephiroth, if only because he needed to analyze the former General's changes. He pulled his hands from his pockets and rested them on his hips. He decided to shift the conversation to the trio of fighters. "Who's the kid?"  
  
Hades glanced to where the brunette and his little play toys were prancing around. His plans about having the Heartless take out the keyblade-wielding brat seemed to be failing, making his temper shorten considerably. He thought for certain that the insignificant band of misfits would fall easily, but he had obviously underestimated the youth's abilities with the keyblade. If he couldn't get rid of this kid quickly, he would be in trouble and have another thorn in his side almost as big as Hercules. However, unlike his fellows, he was not about to let a brat run amok in his Coliseum and gain power. He made that mistake with Hercules, but he refused to do it again. Obviously, he needed to pull out his big gun to blast the kid to the next planet and back.  
  
He shifted his gaze to Cloud again, noting that the blonde's attention seemed fixed, more of the little personality that Cloud expressed sinking away into complete soberness. He rolled his eyes and smirked, an evil idea coming to his head. His gaze shifted to the fighting brunette then back to the blonde. He took a few steps forward as the trio began to dance around again, making his frustration level flare. He walked back to standing next to the blonde, trying not to show his frustration too much. "That little punk is you next opponent, okay? Now don't blow it. Just take him out." He swung his arms to insinuate his point, glancing down at the blonde.  
  
Cloud shifted his weight and glanced over at Hades, noting the god's obvious dislike of how the tournament was going. Perhaps this keyblade wielder was better than Hades had first thought, meaning that the Heartless had been particularly weak. He shifted his gaze from Hades over to where the spiky brunette was fighting in another battle. He had to fight off his amusement so remained sarcastic instead. "The great god of the Underworld is afraid of some kid." He watched Hades tense at his obvious prodding. He wondered how much he could bait the god into anger. "Sorry but my contract says..."   
  
"I know! You think I don't know! I wrote the contract." Hades had to reel in his temper quickly, instead regarding the blonde as coolly as he could currently muster. Really, he had to restrain the urge to slap Cloud and shove the blonde out into the arena. "I know that it says that you are only required to kill Hercules in the tournament. But you have to fight that kid to get him. Come on." He gestured towards the fighting trio as they spoke with Phil, patting the blonde on his shoulder. "It's like that old goat says: Rule 11: It's all just a game so just let loose and have fun with it. I mean, I casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?" He grinned and folded his hands behind his back, sighing internally when the blonde shrugged slightly and walked out of the door. His hands clenched in frustration; he did not being mocked by anyone, especially not his toys.  
  
He glanced back at where Cerberus had been lying quietly and gestured slightly for the beast to get up. He spoke to the dog as if it truly had a large measure of understanding to his words. "Geez, stiffer than some of the stiffs back home. Still...suckers like him are hard to come by." He chuckled softly and turned to regard the beast fully reaching up to scratch underneath one of the three chins as any normal owner would their pet. "Listen up, Cerberus, if Spiky fails to kill this kid, I want you to get in there and finish the job. Don't kill Blondie, just take him out if you need to." He looked up at the three heads and lifted his hands to get each heads' attention, pointing at his mouth. "No blonde death, brunette death only. I want a yellow spiky head to walk out, not a brown one. Got it?" When Cerberus simply stared at him, he slapped his forehead. "Riiight, get out there...."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud rested his blade over one shoulder as he walked to the middle of the arena, gaze fixed on his opponents. He had to remind himself to go easy on these three, simply because he didn't want to make them look completely out of place. He would force himself to practise on the skills that he was still developing, not use the one's that he had mastered and could crush just about anyone with. However, in the back of his mind, he felt his fiercely competitive instincts stir and knew that even if he did go easy on these three, he would probably still win. He had already seen their weaknesses, and he was fully trained after long years of practise. He was never one to like losing, bred into him by the other Royal Guards and his mother. Still, he would do his best not to completely crush the trio.  
  
He stopped in the middle of the arena and bent, knocking on the large stone slabs to test their hardness. Shrugging, he climbed back to his feet as the trio fell into battle formation, a small air of cockiness floating over in his direction. He felt the need to deflate the egos before completely humiliating this rag-tag bunch of would-be heroes; he shoved his sword into the stone at his feet effortlessly, watching the faces of his opponents that twisted into slight shock, and merely adjusted the fit of his glove before pulling his sword back out. "Right, let's get this over with. Show me what you've got." He swivelled his enormous sword around his hand in a great show of skill and set himself into a relaxed battle position, eyes fixed on his opponents.  
  
Sora bit his lip and tightened his grip on the keyblade, suddenly very nervous about this battle. He had been doing so well, too, but now, he feared that he might have stepped a bit out of his league. The blonde across from him held the feel of a battle-harden warrior with more experience than he could ever dream of having in his lifetime. Yet, the more he looked at the blonde, the more grip on the keyblade seemed to loosen, like it was about to leap from his hands at any moment. He glanced over at his companions, somewhat wishing that he could speak with them about his new problems with keeping a firm grip on his keyblade; he hadn't had these problems with when he faced off against the Heartless; rather, he only had it when the blonde was around. Something had to be going on.  
  
Cloud drew back his blade as soon as the whistle sounded to initiate the battle, lunging forward in a straight line for the brunette, now fully intent on finishing this battle before his opponents had a chance to completely humiliate themselves in front of Hades. His gaze shifted to the dog with the shield who intercepted his blow, rocking back on his heels as he swung his sword in a downward arc that smashed roughly into the shield, then his sword switched directions, moving in an upwards slash then across, each blow forcing the dog a few steps back from him.  
  
He leapt back, settling into his own rhythm of battle; now that he was in fighting mode, there was no turning back for any of them. In this state, he cared little for his opponents' well-being so long as he was the victor, a wall of callousness settling over his mind. He would feel very little for his opponents, placing them in the same realm as a real enemy; he had developed it during one of his sparring matches, the first match that he had defeated the General. He now used it in any fight that he participated in, mostly because he had developed a highly competitive nature early in his childhood. He refused to show his opponents mercy until the battle was over, and even then he was unsympathetic to any wounds received during the fight. It was a mindset that he now slipped into subconsciously, despite his best efforts to give an opponent a break; he had fought too many skilled opponents to let his guard down anymore.  
  
Sora took a few steps around the blonde warrior, clutching at the blade in his hands before finally gritting his teeth. If this warrior was going to defeat him, he would at least go out fighting; besides, this was a fair tournament fight and the rules stated that there could be no killing. Perhaps all he had to do was use his speed to his advantage, especially considering the blonde appeared seemly slow when moving towards him. However, Goofy had often reminded him that he should never judge an enemy by first appearances.  
  
He glanced over at Donald who had begun to cast a lightning spell, jaw tightening as the blonde stepped between each strike as if the bolts were mere obstacles to be avoided not feared. He was completely shocked when the blonde rocketed forward in another straight strike, now only inches away from Goofy. Well, he guessed that defeated the thought that the blonde was a slow fighter. He immediately moved to help his comrade, keyblade smashing hard into the blonde's back, rolling to the side when his opponent's sword arced in his direction. He jumped back to his feet when the wind from the blow had finished racing over him, turning when Goofy let out a surprised howl, eyes widening as the blonde now turned to regard them. He gulped ran over to where Donald was casting again, only now catching a glimpse of his downed comrade. "Geez, this is not going well! What are we going to do, Donald?"  
  
"Shut it and blast this guy with magic. Magic solves every problem." Donald glanced at Sora then over to the now approaching blonde. This was definitely not going well. He had never seen a hit so strong that Goofy couldn't handle it, meaning that this warrior was better than the average Heartless. Donald fired off a fireball, grimacing when the blonde leapt to the side of the intended blow. This was the sound of them losing.  
  
"Is that the best you can do?" Cloud called, baiting the pair to attack him. He took an intimidating step towards the pair, stopping when the soft whispers of before drifted by him again, this time considerably more insistent. He fought off the voices, only to be captured by darker voices that seemed to be attempting to protect him for something. Again, he fought off the conflict around him, forcing himself to concentrate on the battle at hand. Despite his best efforts, whispering still muddled his thoughts and made his muscles seem all the more tired. He shook his head and closed his eyes to enforce the walls around his mind and heart, determined to fend of the invisible enemy. His eyes snapped open again a few seconds before the keyblade smashed into his side, the whispering suddenly turning into an incoherent wave of voices that threatened to sweep across his entire consciousness.  
  
Sora sighed in relief when the keyblade sent the blonde flying backwards; it least this warrior wasn't completely unbeatable. He followed the blonde, determined to at least get another hit in before the warrior recovered. He thrust forward, gasping when the keyblade in his hands shimmered and became translucent, almost as if it weren't really there anymore. The keyblade passed harmlessly through as the blonde slipped to the side, but Sora was not as lucky as the enormous blade the blonde carried smacked into his chest, sending him flying backwards. He hit the ground and forced himself to roll, just in case he was being perused. Vaguely, he heard Donald casting almost desperately before the arena around him went silent.  
  
Slowly, Sora looked up as he climbed to his feet, gaze fixing on the blonde who was standing over the now unconscious mage duck. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down at the keyblade in his hand, wandering if the warrior had some control over his weapon. He had never seen the keyblade flicker in and out of his hands before, but it worried him considerably, especially if he had any chance of beating this opponent. Again, the keyblade flickered as he climbed to his feet, his gaze locking with the glowing gaze of the blonde. He couldn't fight if he didn't have a weapon that would work, so he did the next best thing until he could figure out an ulterior plan...he ran as the blonde charged him.  
  
Cloud turned to regard the short brunette, quirking an eyebrow at the boy's sudden fleeing tactics. He then noted that the brunette's sword seemed to have something wrong with it. Yet, as soon as he looked at the blade, the voiced formed into a single understandable one in his mind.  
  
'You can open the door if you take up the fight. Hold out your hand and the keyblade is yours, child of the planet.'  
  
Another voice, darker in nature and malicious in sound echoed right after the first. 'This one is ours. His heart has already given in to the darkness around him. Soon the planet's energy will not be enough to protect him.' The same voice began to shift into something that he recognized, a single cool and calm voice. 'Looking for something, my precious...my Cloud?' Soft mocking laughter echoed around him. 'You've lost your Light, my little canary. You have lost sight of what you claimed to protect. Soon, your nightmare shall swallow you, and I shall own you...just like I promised. I hope you like the taste of blood because you will soon be bathing in it.'  
  
The other light returned, much softer and at more of a distance. 'Until he moves through the darkness, his heart remains pure but clouded...Until the child of the planet releases his walls and opens his heart, his Light will be lost forever...'  
  
Cloud rocked back on his heels, grabbing his head as a headache took over his mind. The voices had left him now, but he again felt a soft squeezing against his heart. He forced his walls to hold, suddenly fearful of what the voices meant and not about to test out losing his walls while he was in the middle of battle. Waves of pain and confusion trickled through his mind, distracting his concentration and nearly making him drop his sword. Too many questions flooded his mind all at once, taking his guard down one notch. Slowly, he redirected the questions into the back of his mind while he forced himself to concentrate on this fight. "I...have to finish this fight...quickly."  
  
He looked across the arena when the brunette was watching him wearily, summoning up some of the dark powers that he had attained; he would only use it when he was desperate. He leapt high in the air without further thought, bringing his sword down hard into the brunette who scrambled to get out of his way. His enormous blade sunk deep into the stone as dark energy erupted from the ground around him, catching the boy by surprise and again sending the brunette flying. He pulled his blade from the stone, swivelled on one foot, rebalanced himself and launched forward with his sword extended, again catching the brunette off balance. He shifted his weight, leaning to his left as he swung his blade like an unavoidable battering object, smashing hard into the stomach of the already flying boy. He pulled himself up as the brunette landed hard on the stone in between the only now conscious comrades. "Couldn't have laid them out better even if I'd tried..." He muttered softly into his cloak, now walking casually over to the fallen trio, lifting his sword into the air to finish what he had been ordered to.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Well, well, well Strife, still sitting on your butt rolling around in the dirt? The General beat you THAT bad again? How many times is it now...four, ten?" Cloud looked up from his spot in the middle of the sparring arena at the small group of guards that had taken it upon themselves to mock his failures. "For your age, we'd have thought you would be able to handle an old man like the General, but obviously, you're still just a punk...a nobody!" The leader of the group, an older greying man by the name of Adoven Silverkin, particularly picked on his lack of summers. Cloud did his best to ignore the group and knocked a few pebbles with his fingers. "Why don't you got home to your mommy and cry? A punk like you isn't going anywhere in our ranks. You think you're so good, but you don't know nothing!"  
  
"Anything." Cloud corrected softly, glancing up at Adoven, watching as the man's face turned red with anger. He allowed himself to be dragged to his feet by his collar, staring the older man down without any hint of fear.  
  
"What did you say, punk?" Adoven questioned, ready to smash the blonde at any moment.  
  
Cloud looked down at where he sword lay covered in a thin film of dust before looking back to Adoven. "According to the rules of etiquette, a Royal Guard should fully implement their education and speak in a manner that is appropriate to indicating the greatness of the service." He shrugged his shoulders much as he could given the fact that his toes were bearly touch the ground. "You said nothing when you should have said anything in your attempt to degrade my self-confidence."  
  
Adoven shook his head in anger and smashed his fist into the blonde's cheek, releasing his hold on the boy to allow the blonde to fall back into the dirt. "You may be able to kiss the General's butt and even Lord Ansem's butt, but you're smart comments will only get yourself a good beating around me." He took a step towards the blonde, stepping on the boy's sword to hold it down while he reached out and flicked the blonde's dust-covered spikes of hair. "Maybe I should pound that into your thick skull, eh?"  
  
"Perhaps you should leave the new recruit to his own devices before you are suspended, Adoven." All eyes turned to regard the General as he approached, all of the guards immediately lowering their heads in respect to him. He stopped when he was standing in between of the two groups, his aqua gaze fixing on the larger group of men. "Leave." He ordered firmly.  
  
"General..."  
  
"Did I give you permission to speak?" Sephiroth asked coldly, giving Adoven a warning look. He smirked when the older man lowered his head in respect again. When the group remained shuffling their feet, he turned to face them fully. "I believe that I have given a direct order, yet, I still see all of you still here. Disobeying the orders of a senior officer is a serious offence that I may punish myself." He glared at each man's back as they all seemed to almost flee the area before turning his attention to the blonde at his feet. "Problem, Strife?"  
  
Cloud slowly shook his head. "No, sir."  
  
Sephiroth bent to investigate the state of his newest guard, finding a small line of blood slipping from the blonde's cheek, obviously where Adoven had smacked the boy. He glanced around when the blonde did not meet his gaze, slowly climbing back to his feet. "I beat you almost two hours ago, Strife. How long do you plan to mope about?"  
  
"I'm not moping, sir." Cloud replied slowly, reaching a hand to the hilt of his sword.  
  
"So...you're trying to act your age then, playing in the dirt? I believe there is a time and a place for that, meaning at your house." Sephiroth turned on his heel when the blonde winced at his cold comments and started to walk away, not interested in dealing with a moping child. He stopped when he was a few meters away, glancing over his shoulder as the blonde stood. "Strife, if I catch you like this again, I will personally see to it that you are removed from duty until you have grown up enough to be able to handle a bit of defeat."  
  
Cloud watched the silver-haired man walk away, reaching a tentative hand towards the General. He had received many beatings over his first two weeks of being a Royal Guard, making all the enthusiasm leave him as the days passed by. "Sir...?" The word jumped from his mouth before he could stop it, quickly covering his mouth and looking in the other direction in a weak attempt to make it appear as if he had not spoken at all. However, he felt the General's gaze fall on him again and sighed heavily. He felt doomed as it was so he might as well go out with a bang. "Permission to speak...freely, sir."  
  
Sephiroth walked back the distance between the blonde and himself, stopping when they were inches apart. He looked the younger man up and down, trying to discern the words that might leap from the blonde's mouth when allowed to speak. Slowly, he nodded. "Permission granted, Strife. What is it you want to say to me?"  
  
"I hate it how you pick on me. Every chance you get, you're dragging me out in the arena and making a complete fool of me. I didn't join up the ranks show off; I joined because I wanted to learn what it took to be a good Royal Guard. Having my butt thrown across the arena was not part of the vision that I had and...Frankly, it's pissing me off...sir." Cloud took a step away from the General, knowing full well that his choice of words might get him into trouble. He didn't care though; his mother had always taught him to speak his mind. Finally, he settled into staring up at the silver-haired man, almost about to glare at the non-response to his words. He huffed and kicked at the dirt near his feet, noting that he managed to send some on the General's boots. "I don't see you picking on any of the other men. Is it because of my age? If it is, then you can go and screw off because I got here on my own steam. I'll be damned if you think that you can chase me off. Just leave me alone."  
  
Sephiroth was internally shocked. He had never received any such words from any man under his leadership, and he admitted that he felt suddenly sharpened with the small tongue-lashing. Everyone aside from Ansem feared his authority and skills, but not this little one. His new-found challenge had a bark that was equal to his bite, a fact that he stored away for further analysis. He was impressed with the blonde's boldness, held the young man in higher standings for it. The boy would someday be a leader.  
  
He cleared his throat to announced that he was about to speak, gaze shifting to make sure that no one was listening. When he could find nothing that displeased him, he let his gaze meet the deep blue depths that stared back at him. "I don't pick on you, Strife. I doubt you understand the honour of having been challenged multiple times by me. Not many men can claim such an honour."  
  
Cloud set his shoulders as he felt as if he were being talked down to again. "There's no honour in it! I don't want to be nursing new bruises and scrapes because you think that I'm your new play toy! I want to learn..."  
  
"You are learning, Strife. You are just too thick-headed and nervous to actually see what I am giving you." Sephiroth seized the blonde by the throat and lifted the boy, impressed that Cloud did not struggle in his hold. "There is no man in all of the ranks that I hold claim over that has any sort of skill to challenge me. My skills grow rusty on wasted old-timers who can bearly lift a sword, but those men will fight and die for me if I say so. They are good men who see for the first time in all of their pitiful careers that a poor, under-educated peasant boy has stepped up to challenge me. I fight you, Strife, because you hit me." He watched the blue depths shift with an unknown emotion before looking away from him, but he decided it would be best to continue. "No one has hit me while I was General of the Royal Guards, except you."  
  
"Lucky shot..." Cloud stated, seeing as it was the only thing that he had been hearing in the last two weeks.  
  
Sephiroth released his hold on the blonde, watching as Cloud's feet landed evenly, no loss of balance what-so-ever. "I had two options when I saw you fight, Strife. I could have killed you...I still could kill you before you hone your skills and become any sort of threat to me." He smirked when the blonde took a few nervous steps away from him, following with steps of his own just to prove that he was in control of this situation and the blonde's survival. "But, I didn't kill you, Strife. I let the other option set into place. I'm letting you develop those impressive skills so that when you finally reach some point of maturity, then I can sharpen my own skills again."  
  
Cloud nearly stomped his foot on the ground. "So, you are just using me. I see. I suppose that is supposed to make me feel better about myself."  
  
Sephiroth pointed a finger at the blonde's chest before raising it to poke the younger man in the forehead. "You are the challenge that I have been waiting for, Strife. I've given you the shove to run, boy...you just have to plunge ahead and show me what you've got." He turned away from the obviously shocked blonde. "You won't fail where you are running to, Strife. Your father was a stubborn man who wouldn't let a bit of name-calling stop him, and I doubt that you will too. Show me what you've got."  
  
"General..." Cloud had never dreamed that he would hear any such words from the General, let alone have them directed at him. He drew in a deep breath and bent to grab his sword, hefting the blade onto his shoulder as he watched his commander walk away. He felt hardness built up around his heart as he nodded at the General's words. "I won't fail...I'll be the best!"  
  
"If you want to be the best, you'd better start practising. You have a lot of work to do, Cloud." Sephiroth stopped when he realized that he had just called the blonde by a first name, turning to regard the younger man. He wasn't sure if the blonde noticed, especially considering the boy seemed to be completely immersed in practising. "I've given you the chance to excel; now you just have to do it."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud lowered his blade as the brunette lowered his head in defeat. He couldn't take away this boy's potential. He breathed in a heavy breath, forcing himself out of his cold mind-set. He had to give the keyblade master a chance to hone skills, just like Sephiroth had given him the chance.  
  
He found it ironic that the same man that had saved him from ultimate defeat in the service of the Royal Guards was now the same man that was hunting him down and attempting to own his skills. His skills had flourished under the watchful eyes of Lord Ansem and General Sephiroth, and he rose quickly in the ranks as his abilities and versatility accelerated. He had done what he had promised his mother and even his dead father...he had become better than any man who lived, even the great General Sephiroth.  
  
He was pained about how much time had changed the days that he had enjoyed. He had been ridiculed up until the age of eighteen, but in the times when the anger made him bleed, the General was always there, either passing him a casual glance or even walking by at the right moment. He and the General were never much of friends, seeing as no one was friends with Sephiroth, but somehow, they had a connection of some sort. Of course, that connection had now turned into dark obsession and insanity on the General's part, but, despite himself and his often hateful feelings towards Sephiroth, he admitted that he should feel honoured again at having the General's attention. Not many men could claim that the 'greatest' swordsman in the universe was their silent obsessive stalker.  
  
Cloud let his gaze meet the innocent blue one of the boy in front of him, slowly nodding his head that it was alright to stand again. Behind his cloak, a small smile pulled at his lips, this boy all too much like him that it almost hurt. He wondered where the days had gone, where his friends had gone, where his dreams had disappeared to. Yet, these were things that he could never get back because it was all in the past. All he had to do was survive into the future and eventually set Hollow Bastion free again. That was his last mission, he determined.  
  
So consumed in his own thoughts, Cloud bearly heard the sound behind him. His eyebrows quirked as he turned and looked up as a giant paw descended on him. He had been a complete fool to think that Hades would not take action if he had failed to kill this boy, and now, he appeared to be paying for his mistake. He grunted the beast literally stepped on him, pinning him to the ground, forced to release his hold on his blade. It did not take long for the sheer weight on top of him to prevent any air from entering his lungs, and he found his consciousness slipping away before he had a chance to fight back against the three-headed beast. His last thought was that this was the second time that Cerberus had got him. He was beginning to really hate that slobbering brute.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Glowing aqua eyes snapped open in shock before narrowing in anger as the silver-haired man shot upright, the air leaving his lungs suddenly. "Cloud...!" He glanced around himself, gaze travelling over the dishevelled sheets on his bed, the torn pillows and blanket of feathers around the room, his discarded leather coat and boots, stopping when his gaze fixed on his long blade. He lifted a hand and beckoned the sword to his hand.  
  
He looked into the flat of the blade, calling forward whatever had attracted his blade's minor attention. His gaze was greeted with an image of his property lying unconscious with Hades' three-headed bruiser standing on the blonde. He felt his ribs lurch as if a weight was lifted from them, the image showing the creature lifted from Cloud by another man. He noted that Cloud did not get up or even move for that matter, making more anger cause his muscle to tense.  
  
Sephiroth snarled in protective anger and climbed to his feet, banishing his attunement to the blonde. He only used it when he slept or was away from the blonde, but now, he was called into action. Cloud was injured, possibly the blonde's life threatened, meaning that he could exact whatever revenge he saw fit. He smirk pulled at his lips and ran a hand over his blade. "I'm in the mood for some bloodshed. I think it's time that I gave Hades a normal dog...one head will do for such a creature."  
  
He looked around his room and picked up his leather coat. "No one touches Cloud except me. Anyone who dares place a mark on his flesh will be taught never to do it again. He's mine! Eventually, the stupid people will understand that I am right."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud regained consciousness as someone was slapping his cheeks, slowly cracking open his eyes to find him staring at the very man he was contracted to kill. Without really thinking about it, he smacked the man's hands away from him and jumped to his feet, rocking back to lean against a stone wall as his world spun for a few minutes. He shook his head to rid himself of the nausea, prodding his aching ribs before looking up at Hercules. "What are you doing here? I thought you were visiting your father."  
  
"I was, but I came back. It looks like I picked the best time to come back too." Hercules grinned and put his hands on his hips, looking the blonde over. He was a bit surprised that the man in front of him was not more wounded after participating in a tournament and also nearly being killed by Cerberus. It took a real strong warrior to only have a headache from that. "You alright? I thought for sure that you were a goner when Cerberus landed on you."  
  
Cloud couldn't help a scowl forming on his features which he hid behind his cloak. He could tell that this man was quite taken with himself, probably one of the reasons that Hades wanted Hercules dead. Obviously, Hades couldn't take another person as fat-headed as the god. He brushed dust off of his cloak, if only to give himself something to do while both a Demi-god and a fat satyr were staring at him, probably waiting for him to respond. Eventually, when they began to fidget, he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm fine. I don't need your help."  
  
"Look at that, Herc. Guy can't even appreciate someone saving his life. Now that's gratitude for ya." Phil put his hands on his fat hips and glared up at the blonde. Obviously, this kid didn't read the rule book before entering the tournament. Thinking about the rule book made Phil jump slightly and stalk over to the blonde. "Oh, and you!" He pointed a finger directly at the blonde. "What were you doing?"  
  
"Fighting?" Cloud responded neutrally.  
  
Phil stopped and thought about that response for a second before finally shaking his head. "Aside from that! You were gonna kill that squirt and his little friends! If Hades hadn't stepped in my path, then I would have thrown the rule book at you sooner!"  
  
Hercules bent to look Phil over before whispering in the old satyr's ear. "Phil, you can't throw. You can bearly climb stairs..." He stood again when Phil sent a glare his way and smacked his cheek, not that it hurt any.  
  
Cloud leaned back on the wall behind him, not really in the mood to be discussing his conduct. He doubted that it would go over very well if he claimed that Hades ordered him to do it. Such accusations would probably uncover his real contract of killing Hercules, something that he really did not wish to deal with at the moment. Instead, he merely shrugged his shoulders, forcing his headache away long enough to finish this conversation. "Look, I don't kill children. As soon as he showed me that he was defeated, I lowered my sword. You think I would have stopped if I had wanted to kill him?" He watched a quizzical look pass over the satyr's face before pushing off of the wall. "I doubt that you could have stopped me if I had gone through with killing them."  
  
He stepped from the wall and pushed passed Hercules, setting his shoulder so he could shove a little more roughly. He found the other man's shoulder bearly move, forcing his own shoulder to give; so this Hercules was strong. He glanced up at the sandy-haired man, there gazes locking as he walked towards the exit. He could already see that normal attacks would have difficulty harming this man, something that he would need to research on how to get passed. He was not about to throw his own life away until he knew for sure what he was going up against so he walked on harmlessly, shoving the doors open before disappearing to the outer courtyard.  
  
As soon as the doors closed behind him, he sunk down to his knees and grabbed his head with one hand and wrapped his other arm around his chest in an attempt to soothe the aches in his body. His ribs hurt the most, meaning that he probably had a few cracked on him, and his headache was only growing worse as all the questions and voices from during the fight rampaged through his consciousness. He felt suddenly very nauseous, but forced himself back to his feet and across the courtyard, eventually flopping down on the steps as far away from the fighting arena as possible. He let his head sink back to the stone and closed his eyes, fighting a new battle to keep his meal in his stomach. It was a long and hard battle, but he managed to win his body over into saving energy and just accepting that he would win.  
  
When his stomach had claimed and the ache in his ribs had subsided, he let out a long breath, looking at his demonic hand now. He eventually let it fall back to his side and stared up at the blue sky above him. "When did things go so wrong?" He really didn't need to think about it to actually know the very moment when his pleasant life had been turned upside down and slashed with a sword. The moment he felt the darkness grabbing at his flesh for the first with the echoing screams of his fellow guardsmen, he knew that his life would never be the same again. After he stumbled out and fell at Lord Ansem's feet, he felt something different about his ruler, something cold and sinister snaking over as Ansem's eyes crawled over his body. Cloud knew that everything had changed...Lord Ansem, the General, and the other men involved in attempted immortality. He was aware that no one aside from them knew anything about went on in that evening, that soon, he and the General would be the only men still alive after four days. He would carry on as normal, the other men would either disappear or kill themselves, and the General would become his shadow. Yes, it was that day so long ago when everything about his life changed, and he knew that there was no way to get it back.  
  
Slowly his mind drifted to other matters, more precisely what the voices in the arena had been arguing about. He had little idea what his 'light' was, but it sounded rather important. Because he had no clue as to what it was that he was missing, he could not know where it had gone or how he could get it back. Certainly, he knew his inner strengths and weakness, but a light did not sound like it fit into his abilities. He doubted that any sort of research would help him solve this mystery, and he really did not have anyone close by to speak to about the matter, leaving his mind running around in pained circles.  
  
Cloud let his head flop back on the stair behind him, eyes snapping to his chest as a weight settled over him. He blinked as he was staring at the grinning face of Panic, grunting when another similar weight settled much too close to his groan, forcing him to sit up. He looked down to find another demon, Pain he thought, attempting to bounce on his upraised knee. He reached out and shoved the maroon demon forward, smirking when it let out a yelp and fell from his knee, surprisingly rolling like a ball might. "What are you two doing here?"  
  
Panic clapped its hands together and hopped up on the blonde's shoulder, shifting around until it found a comfortable position. "I found out where Cerberus went! I'm so smart! I came up here to tell you to look out because Cerberus is in the arena somewhere." Its eyes narrowed and shifted about as if exploring the open area in search of the mystical creature.  
  
"Yeah...I know." Cloud said softly, rubbing a hand over his still tender ribs. "I already found Cerberus."  
  
"Really?" Pain did its best to scramble back up on the blonde's knee, kicking out its short legs in an attempt to catch some of the warrior's pant leg. Unfortunately, its roundness prevented such an action, and Pain only succeeded in tiring itself, now taking to hanging from the blonde's pant leg until it caught its breath. "See...Panic..." It wheezed and made another attempt to pull itself up. "...Told you he'd...know...Boss...says he's a smart one..." Another wheeze of pathetic glory. "...despite his hair colour...."  
  
"So who told you?" Panic inquired, making faces at Pain.  
  
Cloud rolled his eyes and eventually lifted Pain to sit on his knee, tired of watching such a pathetic attempt. He shifted his gaze between the two demons, noting that his apparent fan club was about to get a new member in it. "No one told me. I found out the hard way."  
  
"Bit, clawed, barfed on, or stepped on?" Panic asked.  
  
"Stepped on." Cloud replied, feeling a small smile lit his features. These two were probably the most light-hearted company that he had ever kept nearby. It appeared that they had a way of cheering him up and taking his mind off of some of his problems for a little while. He watched as the pair nodded their heads in sympathy and look at one another as if it hadn't been the first time. However, his mood did not last as he felt the need to inquire about what someone's 'light' was. "Do you two know what someone's light is?"  
  
Pain lifted its hand in the air and waved it around wildly before falling from the blonde's knee again. This time, its excitement for knowing the answer allowed it to jump back onto the warrior's knee. "Oh, I know, I know! Pick me, pick me!" It hopped up at down on the blonde's knees, still waving its arm in the air when Cloud looked at it oddly. Of course, it took the look to mean that it had been picked. "Someone's light is something that makes the darkness go away." It grinned widely.  
  
Panic glanced over at Pain and shook its head. "No, it doesn't. Someone's light is their soul...you know, like the ones that the Boss collects." It then got into an argument with Pain about the meaning of the light.  
  
Slowly, Cloud shook his head as if his headache had just returned. He rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily. Obviously, these two had little knowledge about the subject that he wanted to know about, meaning that he would need to find the time to look for someone that did. He was not sure if Hades would let him sneak away for a couple of days, especially if he didn't have a good excuse as to why he wanted to go to another world. The only other place that he knew to start from was Traverse Town, and he wasn't sure if he wished to venture back there so soon. Too many bad things could happen if he returned there...too many people could recognize him.  
  
He glanced down as Pain and Panic started to wrestle on his knees and rolled his eyes again, reaching out to pull the two apart. "Stop fighting. It doesn't matter that much. I'll find out from someone else, I guess." He released his hold on the two demons, watching as both failed to rebalance themselves and fell from his knees, slowing shaking his head. He now understood what Hades meant by needing to find good help. "Look, you two should get out of here before Hades finds you up here. I don't think he would be pleased if he found you both wandering up in the Coliseum."  
  
Panic sat up and glanced over at Pain before looking pleadingly at the blonde. "You'd protect us, right?"  
  
"Uh...I suppose..." Cloud cringed as both demons launched forward and latched onto his legs. He hastily tried to pry the two off, surprised how strong they both were when they wanted to be. He eventually gave up when they gave no sign of releasing their hold. He could swear that they were sobbing like babies into his pant legs. "Would you two please let go of me?"  
  
Panic lifted its head long enough to look over to Pain and sob. "See! I told you he was nice! He's our bestest friend in the whole wide Underworld!" It then returned to sobbing in the blonde's pant leg.  
  
Cloud looked down at the demons attached to his leg then around the courtyard, hoping that no one was looking in his general direction. Luckily, the courtyard was empty. "How am I supposed to protect you two if you're clinging to my legs?"  
  
Pain looked up this time and released its hold on the blonde's leg, patting Panic on the shoulder. "He does have a point, Panic." It managed to pull the lithe demon off of the warrior's legs and patted its friend on the shoulders. "You get so emotional over the simplest things."  
  
"But I've never had a big friend before!" Panic began sobbing on Pain's shoulder.  
  
Pain glanced up to the blonde who was still hiding his face behind a cloak. It grinned and waved to the blonde as it pulled Panic away to return to the Underworld. "Wow, a big friend who stood up to the Boss. I feel taller already."  
  
Cloud watched the two demons wander off in slight bewilderment. How he managed to get those two on his side was still beyond him, and he was not about to put in the time and effort to puzzle through the phenomenon. He glanced down at his hands and sighed heavily. "Those two pop up at the most odd moments."  
  
He rested his arms across his upraised knees and leaned his chin on top of one of his knees, returning to his previous thoughts. His list of things to do was steadily growing. First, he wanted to find Sephiroth, and then set Hollow Bastion free of the Heartless. Now, he found himself protecting two abused demons, trying to keep everyone he knew safe from harm, and searching for whatever light that he seemed to have lost. He was beginning to feel a bit bogged down with the tasks that he had taken upon himself, now suddenly wishing that he was just searching for Sephiroth and had no association with any of the other problems that kept heaping on his pile. However, he knew that was impossible because he was still a Royal Guard at heart, and he felt the need to keep up with his duties even if he was not in Ansem's court.  
  
Yet, he was still no closer to finding out the answers that he was searching for, despite his efforts. If anything, he was more confused and getting steadily frustrated. He forced himself to concentrate, sorting through the questions that seemed important and bringing them foremost in his mind, slowly piecing together the fact that no matter where he went and no matter what duties came about, he would be forced to find Sephiroth. The dark voice had turned into the former General to taunt him, meaning that it could either be complete coincidence or Sephiroth held to key to finding out where his 'light' was. He didn't completely understand what he had lost sight of; he still protected everything that he had pledged to. He was still the same man that he had been years ago...wasn't he?  
  
He looked at the demonic hand, wriggling the bony fingers as if to make sure that they were still under his command. Perhaps he had lost sight of one thing...he had given in to the darkness for a purpose that required him to manipulate his situation for his own benefit. Despite his best efforts, he sometimes grabbed at the darkness that had made his body what it was; he had used it for his own reasons, be it as innocent as he thought it would be. He wondered if his wandering into the darkened realm had shadowed his better judgement, leaving him just as obsessed to find the General as Sephiroth was to find him. How had he missed this detail? How had he overlooked his own morals for another crack at the General? How...could he be rid of this form and take back his life again?  
  
Cloud did not have time to sort out through the new questions as his acute senses picked up the fact that someone approached him. He didn't need to look up to know that it was the brunette with the keyblade so he remained with his head down as if he were still deep in thought. If he was lucky, the boy would simply pass by and leave him to his thoughts.  
  
Sora approached the blonde cautiously, not sure how he was supposed to act around a man that was obviously thinking. Still, he wished to know if the blonde warrior was alright after the encounter with Cerberus, despite Donald's protests to him doing so. He stopped when he was a small distance away from the blonde and ran his hands over his shorts. "Hey, are... you alright?"  
  
Cloud grunted inwardly. Obviously he was not going to get away without talking to the boy. 'Damn, he's so like me it isn't funny....' Slowly, he looked up, gaze meeting the innocent one across from him. He kept his expression completely neutral, if only to figure out where this kid was going before he let his emotions through. "Yeah." He replied softly.  
  
Sora cocked his head to the side, considering the answer. It was a bit shorter than he had been hoping for, but he found that it didn't matter that much. He still knew a few details about this man, especially the one part about the blonde working for Hades. It was obvious with the way that Hades had stepped into Phil's path when the blonde was about to kill him. Slowly, he took a cautious step forward. "How...come you went along with him anyway?"  
  
Cloud really didn't wish to speak about his motivations, especially not to the brunette. However, despite himself, he felt the words slip from his lips before he could even think about them. "I'm searching for someone." He let his chin rest on his hands again, closing his eyes to consider his words He was aware that the boy knew about his association with Hades. "Hades promised to help." Yet, he knew the price of getting Hades' help was to keep to the form that he was now in. How had he not seen this until this moment?  
  
  
  
He was aware that speaking the truth to the brunette could lead him closer to tying up his contract but probably not without Hercules finding out first. He was not one to speak openly about his inner thoughts, especially not when the boy could reveal part of himself that could complicate his plans. His mind searched for an excuse that would best hide him from further scrutiny, quickly settling into pretending to be one who was controlled by the darkness. "I tried exploiting the power of darkness, but it backfired." He watched the brunette's expression carefully, nodding inwardly when the boy seemed oblivious to his small lie. "I fell into darkness and I couldn't get out." Slowly, Cloud climbed to his feet, wishing to escape from further conversation in the Coliseum. If he wanted to talk to this boy about more personal matter, he could always track the brunette down again.  
  
Sora smiled warmly at the blonde. "You'll find it." He nodded his head as the blonde looked up at him again. He had a feeling that whatever the blonde was searching for, it was much more complicated than his own search. Still, he felt a connection in the fact that they were both searching for something important. "I'm searching too."  
  
"For your light?" Cloud wasn't sure why he assumed it was that. He watched the brunette nod, wanting to ask the boy what the 'light' was but forced himself to hold his tongue. Such matters should not be spoken in such an open place where anyone could listen in on. He was weary of his surroundings, and of the two standing beside the brunette. He did not wish to let anything slip that could potentially lash back on him or the keyblade wielder.  
  
It was with that thought that he became suddenly very aware of the connection between them. He found the similarities to be unnerving, yet comforting. He felt his heart relax and all his troubles melt away as he stared at the boy, so much reminded of the good times of his life, the times were nothing mattered but the present and all of the adult problems seemed so far away. The determination in the boy's blue eyes made a small smile pull at his lips, the innocent air of promise and a lively future. Yes, this boy was like him, and like him, the brunette needed a helping hand to find a place in the great scheme of things. He felt the urge to help, if only a small amount until he figured out what direction he would take from now on. He found his strength and resolve to find and protect the truth setting in his stubborn pride again. It was a good feeling. He needed this boy's strength as much as the boy needed his strength.  
  
Cloud took a step towards the brunette as he pulled out a small glowing red stone and handed it to the boy. It contained the knowledge of the one move that he had willed into a writing stone. It was obvious that this boy needed all the help that he could get, and with this stone in the brunette's possession, he would know if the boy had fallen into great danger and required aid. "Never lose sight of it." He meant the stone he had just given the brunette, but it was clear that the boy took it to mean something completely different. He walked around the brunette, hoping to escape quickly and quietly from the Coliseum. He had much-needed thinking to do. He stopped when the brunette called to him, glancing back over his shoulder.  
  
  
  
Sora waved a hand at the blonde, feeling strength within the shining stone. It was a pure strength that he had often felt when he was around Kairi. He was suddenly aware that he had found a new, powerful ally if he needed to call on one. He felt an odd connection with the blonde, one that he couldn't really explain in words, but he knew that it was there. He knew that if he wanted, he could probably learn some very valuable skills from this blonde that held an air of a man with more years than actually showed. He smiled warmly, feeling happier than he had since he was on Destiny Island with all his friends. "Hey, how about a rematch sometime?" He grinned widely, mischievously. "Fair and square, no dark powers involved!"  
  
Cloud snorted and brushed a hand over his bangs in a mock show of arrogance. "I think I'll pass." He turned and walked away again, a soft playful smile on his lips. He would return to the Underworld and hopefully be left alone for awhile. However, he had no longer taken a few steps away as the brunette left when a strange creature appeared in front of him, grinning, handed him a small rolled scroll, tipped a hat and left again.  
  
He looked from the scroll in his hands and the fast-moving spec in the distance, not sure of what he had just encountered. Eventually, he unrolled the paper, eyes scanning over its contents before looking around, his heart sinking in his chest. He slowly closed his eyes as he rerolled the paper and tucked it into his cloak, turning to look at the gates that Sora had just left from. He ran a hand through his blonde locks and sighed heavily before finally nodding to himself; he would force himself to go. "...Alright, you win...."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth stepped through the gates of the Underworld, gaze shifting around until it fell on the reason for his visit to this place. He turned to regard the large three-headed dog that lay off to the side resting. It appeared that the beast had taken a beating and was now licking wounds. He walked slowly but purposefully over to the beast, smirking cruelly when all three heads lifted to watch him. He unsheathed his blade, pointing from one head to another as he spoke childishly. "Inny meeny...miney moe...Catch an ugly three-headed brute...by the toe. Lose a head and where do you go..."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Okay, okay, I know. It was longer than I thought that it would be for the scenes that I was planning on throwing in. Cloud's part took quite a bit longer than I expected for the sole reason that I thought that his lines while talking with Sora were really stupid and I had to figure out a mind set that would have Cloud say stuff like that. Maybe it's not his actual lines, just the way he says them in the game. Anyway, I finally ran through that screaming so now I can run back to my own plot and not as brilliant lines.  
  
I apologize for all you Sephy-lovers out there. I really didn't have the time or the energy to throw in the scene where he wipes the floor with Cerberus. Actually, he got very little air time, something that I am sure that I will pay for at a later date. Oh well, it was enjoyable.  
  
Oh, I have been thinking and reading my reviews several times a day as I think over the yaoi situation. I still haven't fully decided an 'aye' or 'nay', but...I could nudge Sephy a bit get throw some more sexual overtones just to spice things up. Not entirely sure, but I know that I could write it...seeing as I do have a somewhat consensual way for Sephiroth to win! (Aside from pressing the 'win' button on the controller...Sorry, in joke) I will consider it more. I probably won't say for sure for at least a couple of chapters or something...you know, leave you all in suspence! 


	7. A Light Shrouded in Shadow

Darkness Rising  
  
By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
Chapter 6 - A Light Shrouded in Shadow  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth smirked as he advanced once more against the writhing beast, stopping when Cerberus howled and attempted to limp away from him further. "Not so tough when you've only got two legs and one less head..." He lifted a hand and smeared the dark blood that had splattered on his cheeks, rubbing his blooded gloved fingers together in amusement. He lifted his fingers to his lips and had a small taste of the warm liquid, his features souring considerably. "Not nearly as sweet as Cloud's blood, but then again, you aren't nearly as wonderfully attractive in your struggles. His elegant writhing gets me right here..." He patted his heart and sighed almost dreamily.  
  
His gaze shifted from his fingers up to the beast that deserved a worse fate than death, one that he was fully willing to give. He took a menacing step forward, setting his blade against his side once more as he picked out the best place to strike. He teleported to his destination, sword singing through the dead air before meeting dark flesh, not as deeply as he would have liked. He jumped back several feet, again setting Masamune on his belt. "Meet your fate!" He shot towards the heavily wounded beast anew, landing heavily on Cerberus' shoulder while bringing his sword down in a deadly arc, cutting cleaning this time, a smirk forming on his features as another of the beast's heads left attachment to a body.  
  
He put his foot on the only remaining neck as Cerberus sunk down and whimpered in pain, his triumph clearly evident. He sheathed his blade at his side and crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking like the perfect image of a respected hero. He only wished that it wasn't a mangy dog pleading for mercy; rather, he would much prefer his property submitting to his will. Still, he accepted this victory as a conquest of those that stood in the way of his final goal, slowly removing obstacles that stood blocking his view of the sensual blonde warrior.  
  
Triumphantly, he stepped from his pedestal of black flesh, satisfied with the punishment that Cerberus had received. He was confident that his dominance had been asserted on the beast, and he was sure that Cerberus and Hades would be aware that he would not tolerate any act against his property. Only he was allowed to crush Cloud when it suited his fancy.  
  
He was drawing his sword with instant speed as his senses murmured of danger, swiveling gracefully as a set of jaws lunged at him, parrying most of the blow as he teleported away. He appeared a few feet away from the snarling beast, glancing down at a small pain in his arm, eyes narrowing with anger. He grabbed the wound roughly, ignoring the pain that laced up into his shoulder, gaze shifting to where Cerberus glared at him in the same manner that he was glaring at the beast. "I'll do you for that..."  
  
Setting his shoulders in stubborn anger, he lifted a hand in the air, summoning up some of his hold on the darkness, calling up a spell to mind. He closed his eyes as blue energy flashed around his raised arm, the ground beginning to rumble beneath his feet as he called forth some meteors to ravage his pathetic enemy. Light exploded around him in a great show of technicolour as each large boulder-size meteor impacted in the ground around him, those that did not actually impact swinging around him to smash into the downed Cerberus. He eventually stopped calling forth the large rocks and rescinded his dark powers.  
  
"Umm...is this the apocalypse or something...Did I miss an important memo?" Came a slightly bewildered, yet annoyed voice from behind Sephiroth.  
  
Sephiroth slowly turned to regard the intruder to his victory, gaze narrowing as it fell on Hades who seemed to be shaking a fist at the heavens. He stalked over to the god and seized Hades by the god's black robes, pulling Hades so that their faces were very close together. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't rip you apart? It better be a good one, too."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't your non-existent underwear in a knot, Wonderboy! What the heck crawled between your legs and died a horrible screaming death?" Hades took a step away from the now furious, releasing himself from the silver-haired man's death-grip, taking the time to look Sephiroth over. He noted the black blood that was spattered over the man's flesh and clothing, gaze shifting to where Cerberus lay bleeding.  
  
For the first time in all of his godhood, Hades squealed like a little girl and drifted quickly over to where his beloved pet lay heavily wounded. "No! My beautiful pooky-wooky!" He reached down and lifted the last remaining head, staring into the blank eyes before faking a few tears of anguish. "Ohhh, don't worry my cutesy, snuggle-wuggle bum! Daddy will make things right again!" He panted a kiss on the end of Cerberus' nose and rubbed his cheek almost loving against the big dog's muzzle. "Did that mean-ol', obsessive man with non-existent underwear hurt you?!"  
  
Sephiroth fumed silently as Hades called him various colourful insults while fawning over the dismembered beast that was the god's pet dog. He crossed his arms, completely unimpressed in this show of silliness. He wiped some of the blood from his cheeks with the back of his hand, lifting it to protect his eyes as a bright flash light washed over him when Hades snapped his fingers. He grumbled and continued wiping the gore from his cheeks until Hades let loose another overly cute string of words in regards to Cerberus. His gaze traveled to where Hades stood, letting his hand drop back to his side at the sight of the god of the Underworld hugging a completely new and uninjured Cerberus. He sighed in frustration and glared death at the three-headed dog that seemed all too pleased with having its belly scratched by Hades.  
  
Hades chuckled and turned to regard Sephiroth, noting the still rather angered look that Cerberus was receiving. He released his hold on his pet and drifted back to where the silver-haired man stood rigidly eyeing him. He grinned and looked back at Cerberus. "Last time I saw that many rocks falling from Heaven, Zeus was having an all-nighter. You really scared me there, Wonderboy. For a minute there, I thought something important had happened."  
  
"That beast hurt my property." Sephiroth stated coolly, eyeing the three-headed dog as Cerberus flopped down in front of the gates of the Underworld. "According to our deal, I could exact whatever punishment I wished upon individuals that hurt or threaten Cloud's life." His gaze shifted to Hades as he spoke, watching the god out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Hades chuckled and smoothed down his robes, looking anywhere but Sephiroth. "Wow, I didn't think you were actually serious about that, Wonderboy. It wasn't my fault Cerberus wanted to play fetch...with Blondie."  
  
Sephiroth growled angrily. "Cloud. Call him by his name. His mother gave him one for a reason." He glared at the god as Hades turned to regard him fully, their gazes locking.  
  
"Fine, fine, whatever you want, Wonderboy." Hades threw his hands up in the air in exasperation before turning on the silver-haired man. "It's not my fault Clod can't do his job!"  
  
"Did you just call him 'Clod'?" Sephiroth asked in slight disbelief.  
  
Hades pointed a warning finger at the silver-haired man. "No, now you listen up, Wonderboy. Aside from the miserable failure of Spiky...I mean, Clyde..."  
  
"Cloud."  
  
"That's what I said!" Hades snatched the silver-haired man's voice away, glaring the former General into peaceful silence. "Like I was saying, aside from one peon's failure and a hang-nail...very painful, I must say...I've been having a great day." Hades created a chair behind the silver-haired man and forced Sephiroth to sit down, taking seat in midair, rubbing his chin as if deep in thought. "Look Wonderboy, I know what I'm doing with you from now on. I'm going to give you a full-time job...and before you say it, despite not being able to talk, yes, it has a good dental plan...the medical is a bit lacking but you probably won't use that too much anyway...."  
  
Sephiroth opened his mouth to question what he had done to warrant this obvious show of godly enthusiasm. He snapped his jaw shut in frustration when his voice murmured somewhere in Hades' robes. He noted the playful smirk that Hades threw him and looked away, not bothering to speak any more; he refused to be any sort of pleasure to the god of the Underworld.  
  
Hades clapped his hands together in front of the silver-haired man's face, bringing Sephiroth's attention back on him. He pointed at the former General's eyes then his own, indicating that eye-contact was a good thing between them. "I know it's difficult, but don't let your mind wander off...you may never find the important part of it again. I know you already lost some of it awhile go...hey, those postcards it sent you from all those tropical destinations were nice..." He sat back in his non-existent chair, flicking a hand when Sephiroth attempted to stand up and slug him one. "Anger-management, Wonderboy. It's all the breathing. Deep breaths!" He took a deep breath of his own as a model for what the silver-haired man should be doing.  
  
He shifted his gaze down to his fingernails and mourned the loss of the one that he had broken in his attempt to rid himself of a hang-nail, not in the mood to just conjure a new one up. "Now, as I was saying, since you already have the 'psycho' part covered in your contract, I'm just going to add on a small bit after that, then you can be my 'psychopomp'." Hades poked the silver-haired man in the forehead to make sure that Sephiroth's mind didn't wander off. "See, I came to this wonderful conclusion that, after your cute escapade to collecting that girl and that world's subsequent destruction thanks to that big rock you dropped on it...nice style on that, if I do say so myself..." Hades stopped to figure out where he was going with that sentence, tracing it back to its origins. "Oh right...Because you destroyed that world and it was not eaten by Heartless, I got a rather large influx of newly dead souls, a fact that I really liked because...heh, I get more powerful the more souls are in my realm...so I want you to wander around and kill more planets...a lot more planets."  
  
Sephiroth crossed his arms in stubborn pride and turned his head to the side, lifting his chin to show his obvious arrogance for the whole situation. If he could not voice his displeasure, he would at least show it off silently. He could sense Hades puzzling over his reaction and mouthed the words 'You will owe me big.'  
  
"Look, Wonderboy, the more places you off, the more powerful I become...meaning, the happier I am because I'm powerful." Hades wrapped an arm around the silver-haired man's shoulders, pulling Sephiroth closer to him. "The happier I am with someone, the more I'm willing to look the other way when they do something that they are not supposed to." He grinned when the former General's gaze shifted to look at him. "I may even throw in a little annual bonus... how does another dream with everyone's favourite spiky meat-puppet sound?"  
  
Sephiroth couldn't help the smirk that pulled at his lips as he slowly nodded his agreement to this new title. To be able to get another chance at facing off with Cloud and righting the wrongs that had occurred in the last one, he would give just about anything for. He had little time to watch his property so being able to step back into the blonde's dream was the most perfect opportunity that he simply could not pass up. Perhaps he could pin Cloud beneath his body again and claim a bit more than just a touch or two.  
  
Hades grinned in satisfaction and allowed the silver-haired man the ability to speak again, if only to hear the nice 'ouf' of surprise as the chair disappeared and Sephiroth fell the small distance to the ground. He quirked an eyebrow as Sephiroth suddenly teleported across from him before grinning. "Okay, Wonderboy, destroy a few planets and lead all those new souls down here to me, and I'll find an opportunity with Blondie to slip you into that boy's busy schedule." He looked around and huffed silently. "Speaking of Spiky..."  
  
"Cloud." Sephiroth growled out, smirking at Hades' glare in his direction.  
  
"Anyway, where the heck is that spiky ball of warrior-meat? He should be down here by now and hanging his pin-head in shame for failure." Hades glanced at the silver-haired man then turned on his heel and began to drift back towards his palace, muttering softly to himself. He would have to look into where the blonde had wandered off to sulk.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud had only just learned to teleport himself places, and he was still not very good at finding a location that best suited slipping around in the shadows. Often, he managed to end up in some obscure places in the Underworld or dangling precariously on ledges, or even standing beneath Cerberus or one of the Titans. Really, he had thought that he had seen every place that he could embarrass himself in; however, he was sure that he topped it off with the fact that he was standing knee-high in a full bathtub, its real occupant humming softly on the other side of a closed door.  
  
He hastily slipped out the curtained window as the door opened, now sitting precariously balanced on a ledge of a rooftop while he removed his boots and shook out the water while listening for any sign that he had been seen. He quickly pulled his boots back on and began rearranging the long black cloak that he had grabbed from the Underworld to better cover all of his appearance. He refused to be recognized, especially not with his current appearance change. It would only lead those that believe that he was a criminal down the path of affirming such thoughts. He pulled the cloak up around his nose, allowing only his glowing gaze to be seen, though he knew for a fact that he looked extremely suspicious.  
  
He stepped up further on the roof that he had placed himself, gaze scanning his surroundings. He stood overlooking the open square of the Second District of Traverse Town, the place not having changed much since his last visit except for the lack of people wandering about. He assumed that it was late here, despite to audible ticking from the Gizmo Shop and the clock tower. He glanced at the clock, noting the evening time then hopped down to the ledge just below his feet, walking with cat-like balance until he jumped to where his feet would meet stone, settling himself down into a crouch.  
  
Without really taking time, he slipped across the open square and hopped up the stone wall, crouching down as he now faced the hotel which had been forced to close because of the Heartless infestation that surrounded the place. He noted the small Heartless that seemed oblivious to his presence and moved away from the little creature to avoid having to fight any. He wished to be silent in his visit as he had always been even when he lived here. He doubted that anyone would even realize that he was here if he could keep it that way.  
  
Slowly, he opened a door to the hotel and stepped inside, gaze moving around to see if he was being followed. Just as silently, he eased the door shut and stalked down the hardwood hallway, his footfalls bearly making any audible noise. He stopped and listened at each door, searching for one voice that he was familiar with. Eventually, he stopped at the red room, sensing the presence that he desired and pulled his cloak a bit more tightly around his shoulders almost nervously. He glanced up and down the hallway before finally knocking softly on the door, taking a step to the side to hide himself. He didn't wish to be seen by any guests to the room.  
  
He waited for what seemed like a considerable amount of time, his heart pounding in his chest and his breaths coming in small hitches. His back pressed up against the wall tightly, almost wishing that he could be absorbed into the wood and sneak off again before he was seen. His gaze flitted around the hallway, the huge sword on his back feeling heavier with each tense passing second. His palms began to sweat, forcing him to rub them nervously on his cloak, and he nearly bolted like a green colt when the lock sounded.  
  
"Yuffie, is that you?" A soft voice asked into the hallway.  
  
Cloud took in a deep breath and pushed himself off of the wall so that he stepped into view of his adoptive daughter. He didn't need to reveal his face to know that she instantly recognized him, the warm smile that crossed her lips a pleasant change to all the gloom that he was used to. He slipped silently into the room when she beckoned, knowing better than to speak openly with him where anyone could listen. His gaze flicked around to all the parts of the room, moving to make sure that the window was securely shut and locked, all the doors were tightly closed and all of the other portions of the room met his standards for secretiveness. When he felt safe, he turned to regard the young woman who still smiled at him, and he pulled the cloak off of his head. "Aerith, it's been a long time."  
  
Aerith walked over to the blonde and wrapped her lithe arms around his shoulders, a silent appraisal of how he had been keeping himself over the last couple of months. "I've been worried about you, Cloud." She pulled away and gently brushed a few stray bangs from the blonde's forehead, glad to have the chance to see him again. "Please, sit down for a little while. Will you be able to stay?"  
  
"Only for a little while." Cloud noted Aerith's look and reluctantly removed the rest of his cloak, tossing it over the chair that she set out for him. He removed his sword and placed it on the floor at his feet as he sat. He winced slightly at the small pain in his back where Sora's keyblade had hit him. He raised his gaze to where Aerith sat across of him, smile ever-present on her lips since his arrival. "How have you been in these last months? I received your letter just a little while ago, the main reason of my visit." He glanced to the side, slightly comfortable. "I never thought that I would return here so soon."  
  
Aerith reached out and patted one of the blonde's hands, completely unafraid of the changes she felt in him. No matter what people said, Cloud was probably the most trustworthy and sweet individuals she had ever known. There was no amount of good acts that she could do to make up for all that the blonde had done for her, all the sacrifices that Cloud had made over the years. She loved him as much as she loved her own parents, and she knew that he loved her as a daughter. She was probably the only person that Cloud felt comfortable enough to relax and have a conversation with, a fact that she never took lightly. She was so very pleased to be able to see that he was still doing well.  
  
She reached out and run a finger over his cheek, pulling back to investigate the smeared dirt she found there. She gave the blonde a look that indicated playful annoyance. "You need a bath, Cloud." She climbed to her feet, ignoring his soft protests and walked into the bathroom to prepare some warm water for the blonde. She returned quickly and gave Cloud a hug from behind. "Relax, eat, have a bath, and speak with me, Cloud. I'm sure there is so many things that we both have to catch up on." She pulled back and tugged at the blonde's cloak. "Give me your clothes and I will repair any damages to them." Her tone was matter-of-fact and she knew that Cloud would not argue, as was generally his way with her.  
  
Cloud sighed at the instant attention he was receiving and nodded his head in obedience. It would be nice for once not to have to constantly be looking over his shoulder for an attack against him. Climbing to his feet, he started to remove his clothing while Aerith wandered back into the bathroom. So accustomed to her presence was he that he completely forgot his new edition that clung his to shoulder until it was too late to scramble back into a shirt. Instead, he tensed when he heard Aerith stop in mid-hum as his back came into view. Instinctively, he tucked the new appendage closer to his body, hoping that he could just draw it out of sight. He glanced over his shoulder, smiling weakly. "I suppose I have quite a bit of explaining to do." He gestured to the wing and to the demonic hand. "Where to begin...?"  
  
"Don't...not unless you are ready to talk." Aerith felt another smile replace the lost one at the blonde's shyness towards her opinion of him. She knew that she could never hate him no matter what he looked like. "Please, have a bath and relax. We can talk all you want once you are finished, and I have repaired your clothes." She walked over and touched the blonde's shoulder. "You don't have to say anything to me that you don't want to, Cloud. I just want to know that you are safe."  
  
"I know." Cloud ran a hand through his hair and chuckled softly. "A bath sounds really good right about now." He quickly shed the rest of his clothing, laying his many belts meticulously beside one another on his chair and his dusty boots near the door before he wandered towards the bathroom, stopping when a familiar fragrance greeted him at the bathroom door. "Still using rose scent?"  
  
Aerith giggled as she laced her needle with thread and glanced up towards the blonde. "Still? Always, Cloud." She lifted the blonde's thick blue sweater and investigated the repairs that were required to the material. "It is your fault that I use it. I seem to remember a certain adoptive father getting me some for my fourteenth birthday."  
  
Cloud nodded silently and wandered into the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind him before stepping into the warm water, settling himself until his chin rested on top of the warm liquid. He sighed as all the tension seemed to drift out of his muscles into the water, noting that the dirt that he had crusted to him was doing the same. He ran a hand over his left arm, trailing his finger over each muscle and contour until he stopped at where his normal tanned flesh drifted into black. He clenched his left hand, feeling each muscle constrict and relax to follow the assigned movement, the bone shifting with the tension created by the muscles until his appendages were dragged into his palm. It was a simple command on an appendage that he was not so sure he had full control over, but he was pleased to relax it back into the warm water.  
  
He took a pain-staking amount of time cleaning himself, not sure of when the next real opportunity to do so would arise for him. Every inch of his body was scrubbed clean, probably more roughly than was really required, leaving his skin reddened and sensitive to touch, though all signs of his roughness quickly faded along with the dirt. He scrubbed his hair meticulously, smoothing down all the golden locks so they remained against his scalp then shook his head wildly, letting his hair fall where it normally would; if he allowed the hair to set without a good shake, he would look even worse with spikes jutted out at much odder angles.  
  
When he was completely finished washing himself, he slowly stepped from the tub, letting the water droplets trail sensual lines down his body. He smoothed down some of his still wet hair, letting more droplets race down his spine before he picked up a nearby towel and began to fully dry himself, running the soft white material over every crevice and contour until he was satisfied, wrapping the towel snugly around his waist. He stepped towards the door, a fond smile playing over his lips as a pair of new pants hung on the door knob, with a note of 'The others were unsalvageable', meaning that Aerith was currently washing his old pair and just not saying so.  
  
He casually slipped into the new pair of pants and stretched, flapping his wing several times to exercise the kinks from the underused muscles before settling the appendage back against his shoulder. He pulled open the door and stepped back into the room where Aerith was hanging his clothing to dry; either he took a long time bathing or she was faster in her repairs and cleaning than he last remembered. He noted that even the black cloak that he had taken from the Underworld had been cleaned as he sat on the seat again, shaking his head in amusement. He waited for her to sit across from him, idly stretching out his wing in the process until Aerith's amused smile made him stop playing around with his new 'toy'. He shrugged his shoulders almost innocently. "It's not my fault. I don't use it much."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hey Wonderboy?"  
  
Sephiroth looked up as Hades stepped up beside him and growled in annoyance. All he wanted right now was a bit of peace and quiet while he fixed his equipment. Still, he forced himself to his feet to regard the god, glaring to show that he was not amused by this disturbance to his quiet time. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and took a step away from the god to increase the distance between them. "What do you want now?"  
  
"Don't worry, it's a good reason this time...well, it's a good reason all the time because...heh heh...I'm a god and you are not, making you my peon to bother whenever it suits my fancy, not yours." Hades chuckled and smoothed down his flaming hair before turning quite serious. "Look, Spiky hasn't come back to the Underworld yet, and I don't want him getting the idea that he can wander off whenever he pleases."  
  
Sephiroth felt himself perk up at an opportunity to catch a glimpse of his property and if he was really lucky, be able to inflict a little bodily harm on Cloud too. Yet, he did not allow his expression to show in sudden interest in the request that might be coming up, instead passing it off as annoyance by rolling his eyes. "I don't babysit." He sat down again, going back to his previous activities as if Hades was not even in the room with him. He glanced up when Hades said nothing, eventually putting down his sword again. "Do you mind? You are blocking the light."  
  
Hades shrugged his shoulders and stood a little closer to the silver-haired man in an attempt to annoy Sephiroth more. When he received a glare for his efforts, he grinned and patted the silver-haired man on the shoulder. "Look Wonderboy, I know you have Spiky-blonde-dar in your little head. I want you to use that cute little device and find Blondie. Just tell me where he is and I'll have someone come and get him, okay? Do it and I'll give you a cookie."  
  
"I could bring Cloud back if you really wanted." Sephiroth said without looking up from checking over his sword for nicks.  
  
Hades chuckled. "That's a good one. If you really want to, by all means, go for it. A permanent peon would be kind of nice." He grinned when the silver-haired man stiffened considerably and glared at him again, lifting his hands in a mock gesture of peace. "Look, you going to do it or not?"  
  
Sephiroth sighed and stood. "Very well, I'll find my property and inform you of his location." He sheathed his sword on his side and pointed a finger at the god. "You can at least give me some time to watch him." He ran a ran through his hair and flipped a few stray silver locks over his shoulder, tightening his gloves on his hands. "Pull another prank like letting your dog step on him or me, and I'll make sure you have no peons to serve you."  
  
"Yeah, yeah...I'm sorry, did you say something? I could have sworn I heard an annoying buzzing sound just a second ago." Hades looked around as if to locate the bothersome insect, swatting his hands in the air before looking back at the silver-haired man. He looked around Sephiroth before looking like he was measuring the man, glaring at the former General. "How come you're still here? I told you to go away at least ten seconds ago. Shoo!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Aerith giggled and sat on the edge of the bed, cocking her head to one side when Cloud's smile faltered. She looked somewhat sadly at the wing that rested almost innocently against the blonde's shoulder, an obvious show of the trials that he much have faced on his journey. "You haven't found him yet, have you?" She sighed when Cloud only shook his head and looked at the floor. "Have you found any clues?"  
  
Cloud pursed his lips tightly before releasing the breath that he had been subconsciously holding. "Not anything concrete. All I currently know is that he is alive and looking for me too." He glanced over at Aerith quickly, gauging her reaction to the information. "As far as I can tell, he is still on that 'ownership' fling...He's seems to still be insane and possibly more powerful than before." He shook his head slightly. "I'm only running on hints right now, but I can feel...him drawing closer."  
  
"So, General Sephiroth is intent on getting the only goal that he ever had after giving in to the darkness." Aerith crossed her legs and leaned her chin on an elbow that she balanced on her raised knees, contemplating silently before shutting her eyes tightly. "The same man that killed my father is out to destroy my adoptive one. Sometimes, I wonder why life throws these hitches in good people's paths."  
  
Cloud cocked his head to the side and let his gaze drift over to the closed balcony doors, suddenly feeling his true age for a brief moment. "Life's problems are to teach us how to be strong." He nodded his head at his own words of wisdom, trying to take them to heart more than he had been previously.  
  
Aerith pulled herself further onto the bed and crossed her legs, remained silent as it appeared that her adoptive father was in deep contemplation. She rang her fingers over the small silver bracelets around her wrist, smiling fondly as the bands jingled together musically. So much of the small gifts that she wore had come from Cloud, though not one person that she knew had any idea about such a detail. Even if asked about her often beautiful objects, she allowed those with the questions to make their own conclusions, most of them coming up with a possible suitor for her affections. Such thoughts could not be further from the truth because she could never love Cloud as a suitor because she loved him too deeply as a father and close friend.  
  
She doubted that the blonde would even know what to do with an interested woman even if one approached. She was very aware that Cloud was a single man, having never once entered a love relationship in all of his days. She had never come to understand why it had never happened, rather, she always imagined it as an unresistable quirk that Cloud had that probably drove the ladies of Hollow Bastion's court wild. Really, the blonde almost had as few friends as he had lovers, a fact that also made her wonder as to the reasons of the blonde's often anti-social qualities. Cloud never spoke about his past to her, though she never pushed the issue. She was content to allow the blonde to run his life just as Cloud allowed her to run through hers. Perhaps that was what attracted so many people to him because of the obvious mysteriousness surrounding the strange blonde. His past remained where no one would find it, and his feeling were usually tucked deep within himself, only a calm and distant exterior showing plainly through, sometimes hiding the fact that he was just another man not some war hero or criminal.  
  
She stood quite suddenly, as if startled, bringing Cloud's gaze around to her. She walked to the balcony and pulled back the curtains, starting out into the night sky. Her thoughts drifted back to Cloud's mission as her gaze wandered over the night sky. "Do you ever wonder, Cloud?" She glanced back at the blonde, finding his gaze fixed on her quietly. "Ever wonder what kind of man is behind the madness? I hardly remember the General before he was insane, yet I feel like I should hold in my heart some pity for him. He's all alone out there with no one to talk to or hold. Do you ever wonder if he gets lonely like everyone else?"  
  
"No." Cloud replied, looking away to gaze at his sword. No, he had never wondered such things because he never felt it was necessary to bother with petty details. He was not sure why it never occurred to him to think about the General in a different light after the experiment, and he was not about to start thinking about it after all that he had been through. It made his mission seem cheap. Slowly, he shook his head, much too long after his answer, but it was obvious that the movement was supposed to be paired with it. "No, I don't think about such things."  
  
"Why not?" Aerith looked out the window again, running her fingers up the drapes as if they were now talking about a common person. "You did know him before? What was he like? Father never spoke much about the General when I was a child, and you spoke even less as I was growing up. Was he always insane and it only fully manifested itself when the Heartless attacked?"  
  
Despite himself, Cloud found himself on his feet and pacing almost nervously. He never spoke openly about his past acquaintances, though he knew for a fact that he could to Aerith. He glanced at her and was forced to look away when he found her questioning gaze following his movements. Finally, he forced his feet to be still and turned to face her, tucking his hands behind his back so that she would not be able to see him fidget. "He...was the General. He commanded an entire court full of guards who were some of the best fighters, most of which were from the upper class. He was fair leader, I suppose... and he was not always...as insane though he certainly was quite eccentric." He shrugged his shoulders as if he had told this story many times before. "He was loyal to his cause and his men. Always talking with someone."  
  
Aerith smiled and let the drapes fall back into place, turning to regard the blonde. "Did he have any friends?"  
  
Cloud snorted. "No one was friends with the General."  
  
"He was probably lonely then. Imagine a life with only people dancing around looking for a chance to kiss your feet, yet in all the attention, he probably never once felt accepted as a man, just a hero." Aerith cocked her head to the side as she contemplated her own words, a small smile pulling at her lips. She always seemed to run off on these strange tangents, trying to find all the distant motivations of something that she did not fully understand. "I bet he never had anyone to confide to about his secrets, his problems, his worries... He was probably forced to bottle things up and not let any of it show because he was a man with a hero sign tacked onto his back. Maybe all he wanted was for someone to be a friend to him?"  
  
"Doubtful..." Cloud spoke the word, but he was suddenly not so sure that he believed it himself. Sometimes he hated how Aerith could turn a situation around to gaze in the other direction, through the eyes of the enemy and make it all appear to make complete sense. It was conversations with Aerith that got his mind whirling with the reasons why he disliked the General so much, and he could tell that his adoptive daughter knew that she had him thinking. In all stubborn resolve, he shook his head at her as if he had come to a decision when really, he had bearly begun to think. "That man loved nothing."  
  
"He loved his job." Aerith replied sweetly, smiling when Cloud seemed to scramble back from that comment. "He loved his men, or he wouldn't be loyal to them. I think he loved a lot of things, but he just didn't show it." She folded her arms behind her back and swiveled as a child might back and forth in one spot. "He had a love for fighting, I bet. Probably a love..."  
  
Cloud put his hands on his hips, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable with this conversation. "Alright, you've made your point, Aerith! You can stop now." He immediately turned his back to her, ashamed with the outburst of words and the obviously hurt look that crossed his adoptive daughter's face. He never snapped at someone unless they managed to hit a nerve on him. He felt his shoulders sink in defeat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that, Aerith. It...came out wrong."  
  
Aerith walked over to where the blonde was standing in defeat to her, wrapping her lithe arms around his shoulders, letting her cheek rest next to the Cloud's wing. "I don't think it did come out wrong." She felt every muscle in the blonde's back tense. "Why do you hate him so, Cloud? What happened all those years ago that made you actually hate someone?" She felt Cloud's glowing gaze shift to look at the top of her head where she rested it. "He must have hurt you very badly for things to be like this."  
  
"He did." The words leapt free of his lips before he could stop them, but instantly fell silent after they had escaped him. He never spoke openly about his rocky relationship with the General or the events leading up to the fall of Hollow Bastion. He feelings were his own and his memories were simply that, just memories. He had always felt little need to speak about his past, not finding it pleasing to bring up things that happened long ago for that fact that he couldn't change the events of the past. He knew that there were some aspects of his life that he would have wished to change, not anything of grand importance, just events that he would have done differently or wished to have participated in. His life before a Royal Guard was a mystery to everyone, and he had always wished to keep it that way. None of the children that knew him were still alive, meaning that his existence before a Royal Guard had faded into nothingness, and he could probably make up grand stories about how he lived his life as a small boy. All he allowed himself to remember about his childhood was the fact that he always felt hidden and all alone...just like the General, his mind mused.  
  
That thought sent a jarring shudder through his entire body, to the point were his knees nearly buckled on him. He felt Aerith's arms tighten around his shoulders in silent support, her warm breath across his shoulder settling him slightly. He felt himself desperately trying to pull himself back from allowing his mind to drag himself down the road of contemplative thought, really not in the mood the analyze his past relationship with a man that was currently attempting to own him and only the planet knew what else; one could never be too sure about these things when it regarded a highly obsessive, and very possessive madman. Slowly, he forced himself to shove all of the thoughts in regards to his past back down despite the attempts to swallow him again. His past did not need to be thought about because it would only make him ask questions that would never be answered.  
  
Aerith patted Cloud on the shoulder as she pulled away, shifting around so that she could look in the blonde's face, bending slightly to be able to gaze beneath his golden bangs. She smiled sadly when their gazes met, and felt bad about her questions about the General. It had obviously upset Cloud, and she never wanted to do such a thing, especially after not seeing him for nearly eight months. "Cloud, I have wronged you, and I apologize. I won't ask anymore."  
  
Cloud nodded in relief and flopped down in the nearby chair, feeling suddenly very tired. He felt a good change of topic was needed to shift his mind away from dragging up parts of himself he'd rather not currently think about. "In your note, you said that you had found some information that I might be interested in. What was it you were talking about?"  
  
Aerith smiled reassuringly and ran a hand over her hair. "Well, that message was sent a little while ago and things have changed since then, a lot has changed." She sat down on the bed and drew her knees up to her chest. "Initially, I wanted to ask you to watch out for the keyblade that has the power to destroy the Heartless and seal that doors that connect all of the worlds." She giggled when Cloud only quirked an eyebrow of mild interest at her. The blonde had never really thought too much about her choice of studies. "But, from that fact that I just spoke with Sora earlier today, I think that you have already come to know him. He told me you beat him quite badly in the fighting preliminaries."  
  
Cloud couldn't help but smile slightly. "Yeah, he wasn't that much of a challenge."  
  
"I heard you had an accident with Cerberus, though." Aerith broke into a small fit of giggles when Cloud's cheeks reddened in embarrassment and the blonde looked away from her. "Oh Cloud, you never change. Always so cool and calm until you get a little embarrassed." She forced herself to stop laughing when the blonde began to fidget nervously, if only to save him from more humiliation thanks to her. "Anyway, now that Sora and the keyblade has been found, I was kind of hoping that a big tough man like you would take care of him if he gets into trouble." Again, Cloud's cheeks reddened considerably. "It would only be for a little while, hopefully. Would you protect him, my handsome hero-of-heroes?"  
  
"Stop it!" Cloud shot back at Aerith's jabs at him, mock glaring at her. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, leaning back in his seat. "And in response, yeah, I'll see what I can do for the kid. I already gave him a learning stone so I can keep track of him if I need to. I doubt Hades will let me too far out of his sight though."  
  
Aerith quirked an eyebrow at the mention of the god of the Underworld, but she choose not to comment. If Cloud wanted to tell her, he would come out on his own and do it. He was not one to like being pressured into answering anyone's questions. Still, she switched over to her other questions before coming back to the one's that were not answered. "You've traveled a lot?"  
  
Cloud shrugged his shoulders, glaring at the wing that seemed to voluntarily stretch itself out and now stood at attention on his shoulder. "I've been around here and there. It took me a while to find the entrance to the Underworld so I guess I traveled around."  
  
"Have you been to other worlds?" Aerith asked, leaning a bit close to the blonde.  
  
"I've been to a few, not for any real length of time mind you." Cloud replied, stretching his legs out in front of him. He felt his body relax for the first time in quite awhile. "Why do you ask?"  
  
Aerith sighed and nodded resolutely. "You remember that report that Ansem wrote? The one that he never showed anyone about his research on the Heartless." She smiled when Cloud nodded his recognition to the item. "Well, as everyone knows, the book disappeared after the fall from Hollow Bastion, and now, it appears that its pages have been spread across quite a few of the other worlds." She met the blonde's churning glowing oceans. "We believe that those pages may hold the key to stopping the Heartless and possibly their origin as well. You knew Ansem better than a lot of people so you would probably recognize what his journal looked like. Have you ever come across any of Ansem's report?"  
  
Cloud shook his head. "No, but I haven't been looking either. All I know about his report, before you even ask, was that he tried to figure out where the Heartless came from and what drove them." He shrugged his shoulders, never really finding much interest in reading boring reports. "But, if I see any of the pages, I'll be sure to send them your way."  
  
"I heard that he experimented on the Heartless." Aerith said softly, running her fingers over her bracelets again.  
  
"Maybe, who knows. He never talked about his scientific endeavors too much until he found something that was worth mentioning in small talk. He was a brilliant man. I'm sure he found out some pretty interesting stuff that neither you or I would have the foggiest idea what he was talking about." Cloud watched his adoptive daughter's eyes darken and quirked an eyebrow, not entirely sure he wished to know what strange thought was bouncing around in her head.  
  
Aerith glanced out Cloud out of the corner of her eye. "Cloud...what are the possibilities that Ansem let the Heartless out?"  
  
"Out? Out of where?" Cloud knew he looked a bit confused.  
  
"If he was experimenting on them, he must have had some test subjects, right?" Aerith nodded when Cloud did, watching as the blonde's eyes shifted to a darker colour, the glow in the blue depths making him look much more haunting. "And if he had Heartless to test on, then he could have...let them out? You know...to see what they would do to Hollow Bastion..."  
  
Cloud knew his eyes flashed dangerously at the way Aerith flinched. "Enough of that talk, Aerith." He gave her a stern parental look. "Lord Ansem was a good man who served his people to the best of his abilities. Sure, he got a little bit weird and more recluse, and he thought of some pretty weird stuff, but he never once harmed a soul on his planet. He would never do that." He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back more heavily in his chair, drawing his legs up again. "I lived under his reign for a long time, and my mother lived under portions his father's reign. They served with as much loyalty to the people as the people served them."  
  
Aerith nodded her head and glanced around before returning her gaze back to the blonde across from her. "Father used to talk about Ansem because of his knowledge of science. I never understood what my father said about it, but I do know that the older I got, the more worried he sounded." She put her feet back on the carpet, leaning forward as Cloud evaded her gaze. "He started to stay away longer, Cloud. There were some nights were I used to hear him sob in his bed, other nights where he would drink much too long. My father knew something, Cloud. He knew something about Ansem that probably the Royal Guards never found out about." She watched Cloud begin to shake his head negatively, climbing off of the bed when it appeared that the blonde was about to speak again. "Cloud! I remember him talking about you."  
  
"What?" Cloud cocked his face up so that he could still look at his adoptive daughter's face.  
  
"I remember, Cloud." Aerith wrapped her arms around herself as she watched Cloud climb to his feet. "He said that Ansem shown a considerable interest in you since the day you fainted off-duty. Father...he said you were different from the rest, that you were special because the darkness that tried to take you over didn't work...you were completely normal still." She took one of Cloud's hands and squeezed if only to reassure herself that he was still in front of her. "I was very young, but I remember the way father said that you were the light of this world, and that if Ansem had his way, you would be the next full experiment."  
  
"Aerith..." Cloud looked away when he saw tears brimming in his adoptive daughter's eyes, pulling Aerith into a secure hug. He patted her back tenderly and kissed the top of her head reassuringly. "Aerith, five years went by after that experiment on me, and Lord Ansem never once attempted to harm me."  
  
Aerith nodded slightly and pulled away, brushing away the odd tear as memories of her father hit a particularly difficult note with her. "Cloud, may I theorize about you?" When the blonde wearily nodded, she gestured to his clothing. "Why don't you get dressed while I talk? You must be getting cold."  
  
Cloud smiled. "Alright. Talk away." He reached down and started to lace his belts around his waist as Aerith began her theories that made little sense to him. He was a soldier not a scientist so he merely bobbed his head in an affirmative fashion to keep his adoptive daughter speaking. He pulled on his boots after dusting them off, taking his time to tie them tightly before standing up and reaching for his sweater which was hanging to dry. The material was still damp, but it was the sudden silence in the room made him stop and look around, his gaze rounding on Aerith as she stared oddly at him. "I'm listening. Sounds like a good theory so far. Keep going."  
  
Aerith took a step towards the blonde, reaching out hand to touch the flesh on his back. She felt him stiffen at the sudden contact, but paid it little mind as her gaze searched for a source of the lines of discolouration. She traced each black vein to a common source, a mark that strangely resembled one that she remembered from her earlier days, a mark that she had initially thought was a bruise. Now that she was closer, it was obviously not; rather, the mark and all the small veins were cold to touch. She felt the blonde's questioning gaze on her as she studied the mark. "Where did you get this mark, Cloud?"  
  
"I don't know. It...just appeared after a small encounter with Sephiroth." Cloud felt Aerith's gaze look up sharply and shrugged his shoulders. He started to put his thick sweater on. "It's just a small mark that I think Sephiroth used to mark me as his. I'm sure the symbol will go away when we finally settle things."  
  
"Cloud..." Aerith looked from the symbol to the blonde's hidden face then back again. "Cloud, you have black veins sprouting from it, not part of the symbol I remember." She watched the blonde stiffen considerably and whirl to face her. She indicated the length of the veins with her fingers. "There is only five of them, but...Cloud, they weren't there before, were they?" Silently, she watched Cloud slowly shake his head. "I don't understand...?"  
  
Cloud pulled the sweater over his head and struggled to arrange the material comfortably around his wing. He then stopped as he stared at the appendage then looked at the demonic hand he carried. He traced back what he had been doing since he had first seen the mark and felt himself frozen as he realize that something was seriously wrong. "The darkness... it's taking me over..."  
  
Aerith shook her head in disbelief at the sudden urgency that Cloud walked around the room and equipped himself. She walked over to him as he fixed the red cloak around his shoulders and grabbed his wrist. "How? How is this possible, Cloud?" She looked a bit stunned when Cloud grabbed her shoulders, probably more roughly than he had intended. "No, I won't...!"  
  
The door to Aerith's room opened quite suddenly, both Cloud and Aerith looking to the doorway in shock.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth let his eyes drift open to catch a glimpse of the scene in front of him. He knew that his gaze could be seen by another that glanced at his shadow, but he felt confident that everyone would be busy with other matters.  
  
He felt a smirk pull at his lips as his gaze fixed on Cloud, the perfect image of Royal Guard, the blonde standing at attention and all emotions hidden. He had to keep himself from chuckling when Cloud grabbed the girl, an obvious sign of the blonde's hurry and desperation. It amused him to see that even when Cloud was worried, the blonde's face remained almost completely expressionless. It was a fact that he knew Cloud learned from him in the old days.  
  
He noted with some annoyance that two people entered the room, though he didn't bother to look at them. They were completely unimportant when he could watch his property so closely. Despite this, he could not ignore the sudden tension in the room and rolled his eyes, glancing over at all the occupants. He could smell blood, meaning that there would be a battle soon. He was not so sure how to feel about a battle, simply because it meant that the blonde would not be fighting him. He didn't want anyone to fight HIS Cloud except for him.  
  
Slowly, he resigned himself and teleported from the room so that he could at least watch what would occur from shadows. Perhaps Cloud would take him down a lane of memory with a few choice attacks. He knew that it depended on the skill of the enemy, though he was already doubting the opponent he didn't bother to look at. He was confident in Cloud's abilites, and if he were lucky, he was in for a good treat. "Crush this opponent like a bug, Cloud. I wish to see a little blood for my efforts of coming to visit you."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hey Aerith...We just...?" Yuffie stepped into Aerith's room to a scene which she never thought that she would ever witness. Her gaze shifted to the strange blonde man grabbing her friend roughly at the shoulders, as a look a anger in those deep pools of glowing blue fixed on her. The look of shocked disbelief and the fact that she caught Aerith in mid-cry spelled out the rest of the situation for her. This man was obviously trying to force himself on Aerith, a fact that did not seem to evade Leon's attention as he stepped in the room behind her. She watched as the man released his hold on Aerith and stepped away from them all, but the hiss that left the disgruntled brunette to her right made her really wonder. However, she immediately flew to Aerith's side and stood between her friend and the blonde, sudden anger at the situation that she had just defused with her mere presence. She was just that good. "What the hell do you think you were doing, you freak?! No one touches Aerith and gets away with it! Right Squall?!"  
  
"No, Yuffie, it's okay. It's not what you think!" Aerith pleaded with the young ninja, her gaze switching to their male partner whose boots sounded much heavier than usual. She saw the look in Leon's face, knew that bitter hatred for the blonde anywhere. It was obvious that Leon recognized Cloud. "Leon, please wait...!"  
  
Yuffie pulled out a shruiken and gestured at the blonde. "Don't worry, Aerith. We'll make sure this guy gets a real good funeral, right Squall?"  
  
Leon had his gaze fixed on the blonde as took another purposeful step into the room, one foot shooting out to knock the door closed again. He would never have forgotten that terrible day when this man showed his true colours to the people of Hollow Bastion. He had lost his only uncle to his once hero. He had changed his name because he could not protect anyone from this blood-crazied murder, a fact that he knew that he would never forget in all of his years. To finally get an opportunity to avenge the family and friends that he had lost all those years ago was like his greatest ambition come true, one that he was not about to pass up.  
  
He quickly noted the demonic hand that his once hero-now enemy carried, indicating the blonde's true purposes here and they appeared to be quite malicious. It was obvious that the blonde had given over to the darkness but carried only some characteristics of the Heartless, meaning that the other warrior could die. He shifted his gunblade to his shoulder as his gaze met with that of the blonde. "And here I thought that you had died all those years ago, General Strife. I doubt that you remember me, but I certainly remember you." The tone in his voice indicated the impending fight. "In your rampage through the lower sectors of Hollow Bastion, you took the lives of some people dear to me. I intend to get a bit of vengeance for their sake."  
  
"Leon, no! Don't do this!" Aerith pleaded, trying to move out from behind Yuffie to get between the two men. "He's not that way at all! Cloud never did anything to hurt anyone!"  
  
Cloud glanced at Aerith and slipped his foot beneath the hilt of his sword, raising his hands slightly to indicate that he was unarmed and not about to fight. He settled his face lower in his cloak and grimaced. He knew that he would someday have to fight his own people because of what he was framed for, but he had hoped that he could have remained 'dead' to their eyes until he had salvaged Hollow Bastion from Heartless control. "I won't fight."  
  
Leon shook his head and took another step towards the blonde, quickly closing the distance between them. "I don't need you to fight. You just have to die." He growled when the blonde moved faster than he could keep up with, watching as the sword at the blonde's feet was suddenly in the former General's possession and the blonde was running towards the balcony. He ignored Aerith's scream and Yuffie's gasp, glancing over at the two women. "Yuffie, you keep Aerith here. I'll deal with General Strife. That man has been known to kill for less and considering he's now given in to the darkness, it won't be safe."  
  
Cloud felt the glass shards whiz passed his face as he busted through the balcony doors and leapt over the railing, skidding to a halt in the canal of water. His gaze immediately shifted up to the window as he stepped from the water and strapped his sword to his back, gathering his power as he lifted his demonic hand in the air. Just as the teleport spell formed around his hand, he felt the cold sting of steel slamming into his side and grunted as he lost his hold on the spell, instead jumping up to the balcony railing again, grabbing the wound. He crouched down as the brunette seemed to be taking aim at him. "I'd advise against doing that. You've hit me once already, and I don't want to fight you."  
  
He kept his gaze on the brunette who fired a shot at him, slipping gracefully to the side before hearing Aerith yelling his name, instinctively moving from his spot. He turned slightly to regard what arched towards him, eyes widening as a shruiken flew passed him, cutting deeply into his cheek. Yet, he had no time to comment on the new wound as the brunette's blade was cutting through to air towards him again, this time swiveling his back to catch the gunblade on his own sheathed sword as he leapt from the balcony. Instinctively, his hand went for his sword and grabbed the hilt as the brunette walked towards him. "I don't want to hurt you. Back down and I'll let you live with all your parts still attached to your body. Fail to do so and I will be forced to retaliate."  
  
"No deal. I never dreamed to find you here, though I had my suspicions that you were still alive, General. A man like you has good survival instincts, even for an invasion of Heartless which I now see you were part of." Leon settled his gunblade over his shoulder as he walked in a circle around the blonde, not sure how dangerous the former General would be while wounded. He took a few steps around to check the blonde's stance, finding the other warrior's movements slow and rickety. Before the blonde could switch footing, he ran at the former General. "It's over!"  
  
Cloud watched the brunette charge him, stepping back from the man's intended uppercut sword lash, noting that the blade would come down eventually, but he knew it would not be in Leon's hands when it did. His eyes flashed moments before his sword left his back with such speed and intensity that his movements were blurred as he rocketed up to meet the brunette in midair, his gigantic sword smashing through the other warrior's defense as if weren't even present, continuing forward in the air as his own blade made contact with flesh, probably only bruising the other warrior because of the bandages still on his sword. He flipped in midair and landed a few feet away from the brunette, their gazes meeting equally before reserved himself to putting this upstart into the dirt. "Feel my blade... Omnislash!"  
  
Aerith rushed out onto the balcony with Yuffie in time to see Cloud's body blurring so fast that she was not sure if she was even seeing anything but Leon standing prone in the flurry of attacks. She could feel the crackling red energy biting at her flesh, and she could only stand in stunned silence of the attack that she had only witnessed once before when she was a child. It was quite possibly the most beautiful yet horrific and technically difficult movements that she had ever seen, yet their grace, speed and power could not be denied. She had watched the great Sephiroth fall victim to the same liquid movements, and now Leon was subject to the same ethereal beauty that took her breath away. All Cloud appeared as was a perfect angel that seemed to attack with the fury of the very planet behind him.  
  
In fact, the closer she followed the blonde's movements, the most she could hear whispers of many voices, iridescent green wisps streaking from Cloud's body as if the wind that he traveled through was the voices of the planet. She could vaguely make out what appeared to be small green wings of energy attached to her adoptive father's back. In such a state, Cloud appeared to be something that was beyond any world, perhaps a god or something, but certainly more that just an ageless mortal. And quite suddenly, the movements were over and Cloud was staring down at the falling form of Leon.  
  
Cloud watched the brunette fall to one knee, instinctively aware that this battle was not over just yet. "Stay down, boy. You've been defeated." He took a step away from the other warrior before running a hand over his blooded side, noting that the wound was not life threatening just yet but would be difficult to explain to Hades. His wounded cheek would be more difficult to explain, but he settled himself into ignoring his injuries as the ninja girl jumped down to check on the brunette. He looked up at Aerith and bowed his head to show that he would go no further in wounding the other warrior so long as Leon did not persist to attack him. He waited long enough for the brunette to be helped to stand before walking passed the pair. He casually stepped over the ninja's attempt to trip him, only glancing over at her as he continued on his way.  
  
'Left, our child!' Before really thinking about it, Cloud stepped to his left, swiveling as a fireball smashed into his previous spot. He lifted an eyebrow at the brunette and shifted his blade to indicate that he would attack again if Leon persisted. 'Watch the ninja, gifted one.' His gaze shifted to the young woman as she pulled out a shruiken and threw it at him, lifting his sword to parry the small object, his glare making her take a step away from him. He noted that he was alone with these two since Aerith had disappeared into the room and was probably making her way out to meet them, a fact that did not please him considerably.  
  
Leon shifted his grip on his gunblade, wondering if he could get a good shot off at the blonde before a charge. He used the fact that the former General was watching Yuffie to his advantage, lifting his blade to take some aim before pulling the trigger. It certainly wasn't as accurate because of the distance between them, but it would hit a good mark. He smirked when the blonde's attention shifted to the bullet, his expression turning to slight shock as the blonde's demonic hand moved faster than was humanly possible and snatched the bullet from the air. "Impossible...No one can move that fast..."  
  
Cloud dropped the bullet but inwardly winced at the pain that slowly made its way up his arm. He reminded himself that catching fast flying bullets was a bad idea despite the shocking qualities that it presented to his enemies. He clenched his hand shut and jumped to the balcony ledge again, his gaze shifting up to the stars in the sky.  
  
In that endless blackness, he felt the dull cold in his lower back, the cold veins sending shivers up his spine. He could feel the darkness in his wing and hand reacting, whispering softly to him even as he felt himself knocked from the ledge that he was standing on. He rolled to his feet when he hit the ground and gathered power around himself, red energy lashing out at the charging brunette and the whispers dulled to a pleasant purr in his mind as he felt his body shifting as it appeared that the darkness within him combined with another power that was unknown to him but very strong. He felt his wing lash from beneath his cloak and appear as his feet left the ground, his now cold gaze settling on his opponent. "Farewell..."  
  
Leon felt the entire demeanor of the former General shift, a strange coldness slipping into place. He slipped to the side as the blonde's blade crashed down, bearly missing the hit that cracked the stone as it hit. He was suddenly aware that he had managed to get the blonde a little angry, and he felt that he was about to get a little taste of the power that the other warrior held within. He was surprised when the blonde's wing smashed into his shoulder, forcing his grip on his gunblade to loosen enough that the former General's sword ripped it from his grasp on the next hit. He found himself suddenly unarmed with a winged General, and he admitted that he was very unnerved as the blonde bore down on him, realizing quite quickly that he was about to die as the gigantic sword came down for him. 'Dodge it, you fool!' He screamed at himself, but he simply could not move his legs to get away from the intended it and watched it fly at him in slow motion.  
  
"CLOUD!" Aerith screamed in desperation as she flew around the corner. "Don't let Leon think that he is right about you! You aren't a murderer! You're my father! Cloud, please don't!"  
  
Cloud was jarred from his concentration as Aerith's voice rung out into the night, pulling back hard on his blade until he could no longer hold onto the weapon, letting it rip from his hands and fly off to impact with the near stone wall. He himself had too much forward momentum and went tumbling forward as all the energy left him suddenly and his wing slipped back into hiding, stumbling forward a few feet before falling to his knees. He sucked in some air to calm his jumping nerves and slowly climbed back to his feet in time for Aerith to throw her arms around his shoulders. He rocked back on his heels to collect her weight on his own and wrapped an arm around her waist as her cheek settled on his shoulder. He sighed heavily and nodded more to himself. "Aerith, it's alright." He glanced back at Leon who was watching him. "I hope you are happy for yourself. You've proven that you are a man, now what do you plan to do? You could attack me while I'm prone, I suppose."  
  
Leon shifted his gaze away from the blonde and said nothing. He was not sure what to think anymore, especially now that he had become painfully aware that Aerith was on the blonde's side. It had also come to his attention that the cloaked man that Aerith had often traveled around town with must have actually have been the former General. He couldn't believe that he had missed such a thing. General Strife had been nearby for years and he had never clued in. He grunted softly and went in search of his blade, gesturing for Yuffie to follow with him; she looked just as shocked as he did about Aerith's outburst.  
  
Cloud eventually pulled away from Aerith and cupped her cheek gently. "I've stayed too long, Aerith. I have to get back to the Underworld before Hades sends someone to find me." He smiled gently when his adoptive daughter nodded silently and stepped away from him. He walked over to where his sword was wedged in stone and pulled the weapon free, taking some of the wall with him. He ignore the crumbling wall and sheathed his blade on his back, walking back to Aerith as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the beautiful glowing stone that she had given him. "Here, you should take this back. I might lose it."  
  
Aerith looked down at the stone, cocking her head to the side as the stone shimmered and emitted light, a characteristic that she had never seen before. And suddenly she realized that Cloud really did have the planet protecting him, a fact that brought a smile to her lips. She wrapped her arms around the blonde's shoulders again. "Keep it. It will protect you and let me know that you are safe. I think...that you were meant to have it." She pulled back and smoothed down her dress as Cloud put the stone back in his pocket. "I think my father was right, Cloud."  
  
"You're father was right about a lot of things." Cloud replied softly, glancing over to where he knew that he was being watched closely by Aerith's friends. He returned his gaze to Aerith and smiled fondly. "You have the look of your father. I wish that I could have saved him. He would have known a better way to raise you." He took a step away from Aerith and gathered some energy, calling up a teleportation spell.  
  
Aerith sighed as Cloud moved away a few feet, nodding her head. She knew that Cloud had felt awful about the death of her father, had seen the blonde mourn for months afterwards. Perhaps it was her father protecting Cloud now in that stone from the Promised Land. Her father was always fond of the blonde. "Cloud, please come and visit again. I miss you." She smiled when the blonde merely shrugged, Cloud's manner of a 'yes' answer when others were present. "I think that father knew that you were the light of the planet, Cloud. I think that you still are, and I know that someday you will return victorious over the Heartless. Just, promise to come back."  
  
Cloud glanced at Aerith and slowly nodded as the spell formed, pulling darkened energy over his body as he shifted between destinations and slipped off back to the Underworld. He blinked when he found himself upside-down in what appeared to be some sort of chair, though luckily his shoulders were on a rather nice pillow and his legs hooked over the top of the chair so he didn't fall over. He rolled his eyes as he came to realize that he must be in Hades' throne, upside-down with the god of the Underworld marching across the floor at him. He already knew what kind of tongue-lashing he would be getting and to be found in such a postion made it all seem worse. "...This...is SO embarrassing..."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth stood in the shadows of Traverse Town, running a hand over his knuckles as he remained in contemplation. He was currently in a state of indecision as his gaze flicked over to where Leokas' daughter stood with her two pathetic friends. His gaze fixed on the male of the group and he dropped a hand to touch the hilt of Masamune. "I should slit his miserable throat."  
  
He was not displeased by the fact that the gunblade-wielding brat had injured Cloud, though he could seriously smash the brunette for that along with the little ninja too. No, he was angrier over the fact that such an insignificant whelp had been subject to the use of his property's skills. This...Leon...was nothing in comparison the Cloud's skill level, and it was obvious that HE was the only warrior good enough to be a challenge to the blonde. The brunette simply could not understand the sheer grace, speed, power, and skill that Cloud possessed and this man would only leave the blonde bored with no challenges. No, he and Cloud were the perfect opponents, so close in skill and drive that they could almost be counted as warrior kindred spirits.  
  
He had felt his breath slip away from him as he had watched the fight, leaned against the wall he was standing next to in awe of the skills that Cloud carried like a second skin. He had been taken in with every liquid movement, every perfect footfall, every tense of muscle, every graceful swing of that gigantic sword. His heart raced with anticipation when the blonde had launched into the most wonderful set of attacks, feeling each sword blow drum on his own body as he had those years ago. His eyes had closed in delight as that same wind and crackling energy washed over him as if it had happened just earlier in the day. He found Cloud to be the most magnificent...most seductive creature to ever wield a sword. The blonde looked to be dancing when he fought, and Sephiroth had to bit his knuckle hard not to become Cloud's partner in that deadly sword dance that he loved so much.  
  
"Soon, my precious...soon, we shall dance together." He let his head fall back against the stone wall and sighed heavily, his glowing gaze flicking up to the stars that flickered in the endless blackness of night. He had watched as Cloud had looked up at the stars during the battle, and he had to admit that it took all of his self-control not to teleport behind the blonde and wrap an arm around Cloud's waist and watch the stars with the blonde. They had often danced beneath the stars, their swords casting out little lights as they swung. He had often lost himself in the lure of those battles, only being able to see flashes of the blonde beneath the stars, yet each shadow highlighted Cloud's strong features. "Why must I wait? Is this my final punishment...? Is it that I must watch and not participate until I have served my time?" His gaze shifted to the party of three. "Well, I have time. I am not an ageless mortal for nothing, and I have seen more lives fall into the Promise Land than anyone else. I have lived too long not to finally get what I want."  
  
He glanced down at his sword as he began to slip off into a darkened street where he stepped from the shadows and walked normally. His hand followed his gaze to Masamune and a half smile formed on his lips. "How long has it been, my friend? One hundred years now? Perhaps more? Time seems to slow when Cloud is involved, does it not?" He chuckled softly, almost sadly. "I am double Cloud's age, yet it took that long for something as magnificent as he is to walk into my life. Up till that time, you were my only friend, Masamune. Soon, my friend, we shall dance again and Cloud will be our eternal partner."  
  
He glanced back up at the stars and nodded resolutely, stubbornly. He heard enough of the conversation between the blonde and Leokas' daughter to know what he must do. "If I can find that cute little report, then I can bring Cloud to me. All I need to do is make him realize that I'm there and the contract is void. Soon...my precious canary, your wings will meet with flesh and know that it is I that you are touching. How close will you let me get, my beauty?"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Heh, the chapters are slowly getting longer, which is good I suppose. It means that I can cover more of the plot, which is running rampant in my head. I am hoping that it is still a sound storyline and that all the elements required are falling into place. Soon, I'm hoping to kick the plot up a notch and make it more intense. Soon, more of the game will be revealed I am hoping, including the return of Sora to the Coliseum for the Hercules Cup. Ha, that will be interesting with Cloud and Hercules in the same tournament.  
  
Of course, then there is always Sephiroth skulking around in the shadows. He's going to get a longer part very soon, I guarentee and he'll have plot of his own instead of just showing up when someone needs to be beaten down behind Cloud's back. He's so funny when he's a stark raving lunatic who is completely driven for one goal. Somehow, I can see in his character to have more of a dark obsessive side. Maybe it's just me. 


	8. Shadows of Truth

Darkness Rising  
  
By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
Chapter 7 - Shadows of Truth  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth stood silently, contemplating how long it had been since he had last been to his home planet. As far as he could tell, it had been at least ten years since his death in this place, and it really had not changed much in appearance. He remained unimpressed with the fact that nothing seemed out of place, except for the fact that there were no actual people wandering the once populated palace. His gaze took in all the details of his home with a single glance.  
  
He chuckled softly as he thought about how Hades had fallen for his little lie about going to destroy a planet, though his laughter was silenced as he recalled how long it actually took him to find Hollow Bastion's location amoung the stars. He had been forced to research in the endless scrolls that Hades kept, based on a lie that he wanted to find out what he would be going up against on a certain planet. He wasn't entirely sure that Hades fell for it completely, just enough to allow him freedom to do as he pleased. He had remained looking around for Hollow Bastion's location for the better part of a night, only moving from his studies when he heard laughter in regards to his property; obviously Cloud's little escapade to Traverse Town has landed the blonde into a little bit of trouble. Yet, he forced himself to remain at his post shifting through the endless wall of rolled up paper instead of going to check on his canary. He determined that once he found Hollow Bastion and the miserable report, he would have plenty of time to check on Cloud's health and much more.  
  
So, he had found Hollow Bastion's location in an obscure scroll and now stood looking around in his old home, a place he never thought that he would get a chance to return to alone. However, now that he was here, he could accomplish many of the activities that had been swirling around in his mind, like finding out more about Cloud's history, how to absorb the planet's energy to be the sole protector of his property, and now to find the report by Ansem. The latter wouldn't be too much of a problem considering he knew every Ansem hid experimental items and especially books; his lord wasn't that smart, despite what people said about him. No, the harder parts of his little mission would be to find a way to draw in the life energy of the planet and to find out more secrets about Cloud Strife, a man with more secrets than hair on his spiky blonde head. Of course, digging up secrets to use against Cloud would be much more difficult now that there were no people living on Hollow Bastion, and he had never been able to dig up a diary or writings, aside from reports, that either Cloud had written or someone who actually knew him. He wondered if there were any people that had actually seen the blonde behind all the masks and walls.  
  
Still, he began to wander towards the library, smiling as his boots clicked on the stone beneath his feet as he walked and the doors creaked under his touch. He stepped into the main hall, shaking his head to find that everything had been left the way it should be, almost too perfectly so. He remembered quite distinctly finger painting with blood in this room and killing indiscriminately anyone who entered his path. Really, the room had improved considerably since he had last been in it, as if someone had taken the time to clean up his little games, and he seriously doubted it was Cloud. This could only mean that there was something still here with more intelligence than a normal Heartless. He could use this to his advantage depending on who remained behind.  
  
He silently took to the steps, stalking up as he had done many times in the past, only to stop when he heard a soft chuckling that seemed to echo around the room so that an occupant could no pin-point the owner's location. His glowing gaze shifted around the room and his hand settled on his sword hilt as Heartless began to climb from the floors, walls and even the roof. He sighed in annoyance and swept his long silver hair over his shoulder, rolling his eyes when all the small black creatures surrounded him. He noted that they did not attack him and listened for the laughter again, quickly locating it to be nearby. He crossed his arms as he turned to regard the top of the stairs, expression sourly as his gaze fell on the very man whose report he was looking for. "Ansem..."  
  
Sephiroth shifted his weight and let an arm settled over Masamune's hilt as he regarded the former ruler of Hollow Bastion. He quirked an eyebrow to find that Ansem was wrapped in a bland black cloak, only the zipper and the strings hanging from the hood defining features. The large hood of the cloak was pulled back, revealing a face four years older than his own. Ansem's exposed features had not aged, the same tanned skin and manipulative golden eyes staring back at him, though he noted that the older man did not appear quite right. Ansem's exposed features held an odd light to them, as if it were only the cloak that was really there in front of him and the older man was only filling the space where a body should be. He could sense nothing from Ansem as one could with a fully functioning human being, meaning that the older man had learned some new tricks or Ansem was a mere spirit wandering about.  
  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my bastard brother descending from the world of living...and here I thought you were dead. Obviously, you must have a good mouth on you to get yourself out of that one." Ansem crossed his own arms and regarded his younger sibling with some amusement. He never dreamed that Sephiroth would return without his other General hooked over one shoulder after all the events leading up to the fall of his planet. He shook his head in amusement and hopped up to sit in midair. "I take it that you are here to either give up your body to me or to finish up a bizarre plot to grab General Strife again." He scrutinized his sibling and smirked. "You can just give up your body now and save me the effort."  
  
Sephiroth snorted, lifted a hand in the air and summoned forth pillars of fire around him. He enjoyed the kiss of the heat against his skin before allowing the flames to fade away, not very surprised that Ansem remained pleasantly seated watching him, though all the Heartless around him were destroyed. "Out of my way, Ansem. I have better things to do with my time than visit with you."  
  
Ansem chuckled softly. "So, you are after General Strife then. I thought as much." He watched Sephiroth walk past him and floated beside his younger sibling, smirking when Sephiroth attempted to hit him. He watched as his brother's hand passed through his form. "Sorry, can't hit what doesn't have a body, my dear brother." He smirked when Sephiroth stopped to regard him, leaning his chin on one of his hands as if waiting for some obvious question to be asked of him. When his brother just stared at him, he decided to encourage Sephiroth into action, if only to amuse himself. "So, while you were dead, did you see father? How about my mother? Yours...considering, you are second best to me...pushed off to the side because you're an illegitimate bastard son."  
  
"Pretty large words for a dead man." Sephiroth shot back, smirking when Ansem scowled. Having a family reunion with his older arrogant brother was not part of his plan at all. Since Ansem's little experiment on some of the guards, their teetering relationship had fallen from balance, and they usually did not manage to keep themselves from harsh words and low blows from childhood. Their relationship had soured and turned more into vulgar competition that seemed much too childish for two fully grown men who were well respected. Still, he had little liking of Ansem bringing up the fact that he had come about by an accidental roll in the hay on his father's part. The fact that he had been forced to grow up with Ansem was bad enough, and their four year age difference only seemed to get larger the older they both were.  
  
Ansem quirked an eyebrow at Sephiroth. He did not get the response that he had been looking for, obviously indicating that the stimulus used was not the right type to receive an experimental reaction to his liking. The organism at hand required more of a harsh stimulus to awaken a much more rash human desire, one that would reveal true emotions that rounded out without the need for thought. Striking on nerves was usually the most productive manner to get such responses.  
  
He forced his expression to remain neutral as he regarded his younger brother. "So, how is my favourite General?" He watched Sephiroth glared at him and shrugged his shoulders innocently. When his brother opened his mouth to reply, he held up at hand. "Not you, General Strife." He couldn't hold in a smirk at Sephiroth's death-glare and angered swat in his direction, which passed through his body. "Come on, tell me how he's been holding up? I bet that man is still silent, generally good-natured, with all his marbles in place...."  
  
"He's given himself over to the darkness again." Sephiroth noted the fact that Ansem's expression faltered considerably, but knew that his older brother would not comment just yet. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at his brother. "He now bears a demonic wing and hand, but he still remains...mentally stable." He glared when Ansem smirked at his comment to Cloud's mental strengths. "However, he is working for Hades now."  
  
Ansem chuckled. "Meaning he's still working for me. Well, as least the boy has some sense of where he belongs." He shifted in his position to stand on the floor again, rubbing his chin with the back of one of his hands. "And you say that he remains normal aside from his new physical characteristics?" He smirked when Sephiroth nodded and walked up so that he was looking eye-to-eye with his younger sibling. "You do realize what this means, don't you?" He noted that Sephiroth's expression remained neutral. "It means Cloud Strife, youngest member of my Royal Guards and best fighter in the ranks, is better than even my own brother. It means that I have found Hollow Bastion's light, the one strong heart that keeps this planet alive." He leaned even closer to his brother. "I always knew that boy was special the moment I lay eyes on him." He pulled away quite suddenly, walking a few steps away from Sephiroth. "He does look a lot like you, you know."  
  
Sephiroth lifted his chin away from Ansem before turning his back fully to his brother. "That's enough out of you. I have better things to do than stand around and talk with my dead brother." He started towards the library again, noting that he could not actually hear Ansem following but knew that his older brother was trailing behind.  
  
Ansem smirked as he watched Sephiroth's tense back moving away from him. "You still have no idea if he's yours, do you?" He continued to float forward even when his younger brother stopped dead and glanced back at him. He shifted until he was in front of Sephiroth, almost a pitying expression set across his features. "I will take your silence as a no, meaning that you didn't manage to find anything out for Elecia, meaning that you didn't actually see her. Ah, love can be quite a nasty virus, especially when a possible product of your...labours eludes you continually."  
  
"He will be mine, I assure you." Sephiroth snarled.  
  
"In one form or another, I have no doubt. Whether by blood or lover or even a mere object, I'm certain that Strife can only resist you until the end of time, especially considering he cannot die of old age." Ansem chuckled when his sibling sighed heavily. "You know, I could tell you who his father is because I do know." He smirked when Sephiroth glanced at him before huffing in stubborn pride. He found amusement in his brother's discomfort. "I'm amazed that you never found out about the little bundle of joy earlier. I'm amazed that it was hidden from all of us. A child like that...I wonder why Walian never spoke of the boy."  
  
Sephiroth snorted. "Probably because he died, and I doubt that the child was old enough to have ability to attend a funeral." He glanced back at Ansem. "Besides, I did see Cloud once when he was young, at the summer festival during the parade. I remember distinctly looking at the child before he disappeared into the crowd." He shook his head slowly. "I should have grabbed the runt right then and there. It would have made things easier for me. I would already own the boy."  
  
Ansem laughed at his brother's obsessive manners. "Well, then the boy would not have been a challenge for you. No, it was good that Elecia kept him hidden for all those years. Much more exciting." He smirked and pretended to pat his brother on the cheek. "That woman went to her grave with her secrets right after she blew the Royal court's mind by placing her only fatherless offspring in its protection. I must admit, she was very cunning, especially since she managed to hide Strife's existence for fifteen years." He grinned at Sephiroth. "Why, if she hadn't died so tragically, I would have loved to perform a few experimentations on her to find out just went on in that female mind of hers."  
  
Sephiroth remained silent, not sure what he could say to shut Ansem up. If he did not give his brother a reaction, then Ansem's little emotional 'experiment' would fail and his brother would most likely give up. However, it took all of his self-control not to find a way to pound the arrogant bastard into the floor for dragging Elecia into this mess. He clenched his jaw tightly as an annoyed female huff echoed in the back of his mind before it turned into a soft giggle of female beauty. He looked up sharply at Ansem who seemed all too pleased to see him think. "Leave before I fully test whether or not you're dead."  
  
"I'm not dead." Ansem replied coolly, but refused to answer anything more on that topic. "Just a little advise my brother...you can't walk the paths that have already been treaded and have long faded over time. Now, the doors of the future are open and opportunities arise." Ansem looked at his gloved fingers, sighing softly. He really did wish a new body, and being able to get hold of Sephiroth's body, as nice as it would be, was not what he wanted. He glanced at his younger brother. "Don't go chasing the past. You'll only wrap yourself in a web of lies."  
  
"Your cryptic crap may work on children and simple minds, but it will not work on me, Ansem." Sephiroth spat at his brother and turned away from Ansem again, stalking towards the library. He shoved open the door and glanced around, finding his older sibling standing beside him with a slightly annoyed expression. "Where did you leave that book you were always carrying around...your diary, I think it was?"  
  
Ansem grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Hidden with the mysteries that now reside in this place." He walked over to a shelf and ran his ethereal fingers over some of the books, disappointed that he could not feel their leathery texture. "I will have a body soon, you know. Even if I can't get yours, I have another...a boy who believes too much in competition. A foolish boy who will lead me directly to the source of the Heartless and then...darkness will be forever in this place. It will be wonderful..."  
  
"You're still on the darkness kick, are you? I think you're more insane than father was." Sephiroth walked over and pulled out a book.  
  
"Hmm, insanity must run in the family then." Ansem walked over to Sephiroth and leaned close to whisper in his brother's ear. "One...big...happy...family." He ran his fingers over Sephiroth's shoulder pads, letting his ethereal fingers brush over his younger sibling's hair until Sephiroth pulled away and glared at him. He smiled almost pleasantly. "You won't find it in there."  
  
Sephiroth shot another glare at Ansem. "Where did you hide it then?"  
  
Ansem's smile turned more crooked. "Give me your body and I'll show you." He followed when Sephiroth stormed through the library knocking books around. He noted that Sephiroth's rage issues had not gotten any better over time as a book flew through his ethereal form. He sighed and continued to trail his younger sibling up the stairs of the library, eventually stopping when Sephiroth seemed intent of rustling through some more books. "I believe that darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure..." He watched his brother turn to regard him slowly. "...given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times..."  
  
Sephiroth turned to regard Ansem fully, letting the book in his hands drop to the ground as he walked a few slow steps towards his older sibling. "You wrote that? Some brilliant man you are...nothing remotely complex about that little speech. I bet you had someone else write it for you while you...did whatever it was that you did."  
  
"I'm a man of science. I am a sage of this planet. I dedicated my life to learning the answers that I didn't know." Ansem again sat in the air as he regarded Sephiroth. "I learned many things that a simpleton like you could not possibly understand. I know just how weak the heart is and the darkness will someday consume it all. I watched it happen to this place." He flicked pretend dust from his black cloak. "Only Strife and the strong hearts have the ability to resist the pull of the darkness, but...once they have given over, nothing can stop it. The darkness will consume every last drop of light that their hearts hold."  
  
"So, you are saying that Cloud will be consumed by darkness?" Sephiroth asked calmly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"I guarantee it." Ansem raised an eyebrow at Sephiroth's almost miffed look and sighed heavily before drifting closer to his brother. "If what you are saying is true, then yes, he will fall into darkness, probably slow at first but it will eventually happen." He stood again and walked passed Sephiroth, noting that it was his brother that followed him now as he walked. "But, our General Strife is a strong boy, and he'll resist the change for a long time, meaning..." He rounded on Sephiroth. "He may have some fight in him left to try and find his light, but... everything returns to darkness...even your precious Cloud. Nothing can resist the darkness, not you, not I, not even the wielder of the keyblade. It is a fact based on the simple calculations of probability that I have created."  
  
Sephiroth snorted. "I wouldn't call your calculations simple."  
  
"Well, that's why father gave you a sword and not a book. Your ignorance to true science means that no matter how hard you try, you will understand nothing." Ansem smirked at his younger sibling's scowl. "That's why father like me more, dear brother. I had some sense bred into me while you..." He noted Sephiroth's warning look and smirked cruelly. "You were produced on the wrong side of the sheets. No fault of your own. It just gives you a small bit of justification as to why you are stupid."  
  
Sephiroth forced himself to grab hold of his quickly flaring temper. He would not give his brother a rise if only to get the report out of Ansem for his own personal gain. He doubted that Ansem even held any of the other answers that he was seeking, though his older sibling was not usually one to bluff with him. He rounded on Ansem, growling at the almost pleasant expression on his brother's face. "So tell me then, since you are so smart, how did you lose your body and not be dead?"  
  
Ansem sighed melodramatically. "A tragic accident on my part. Who would have thought that a simple mathematical calculation could have gone so wrong at such an inopportune moment...just when the destruction of my planet was getting good too." He cast a glance back at Sephiroth who really didn't seem too impressed with him at the moment. Obviously, the double strike had hit a rather large nerve on his younger sibling. "I suppose that you wish me to tell you in lay-man terms?"  
  
"You have no idea what happened to your body, do you?" Sephiroth asked as he raised an eyebrow of skepticism.  
  
"Absolutely none." Ansem replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Even a scientific mind can only go so far, and though I know that I wasn't consumed by darkness or killed by Heartless, it seems to me that it just disappeared."  
  
"Some scientist." Sephiroth muttered softly, rustling through more books. He glanced back at Ansem to find his older sibling watching him silently, all the calculation draining away from the both of them. The room suddenly felt much less tense, as if the ice between them had been melted away with a simple bit of insane humour on both of their parts. Their obvious malice for each other slipped back into slumber, giving way to more logical thoughts and cognitive questions between them. There was an obvious shift in the feeling of the room and of each other's body language, despite the fact that Ansem was only an iridescent spirit wrapped in a black cloak.  
  
Ansem sighed heavily and drifted a bit closer to Sephiroth, watching intently as his younger sibling continued to rustle through books, probably not even looking for his notes now. He noted that Sephiroth bearly glanced at the title of each book and despite his accusations to his brother's stupidity, he knew for a fact that Sephiroth was an extremely intelligent man. But, his brother's intelligence only went as far as loyalty would allow and as he reached out an ethereal hand to touch the wing that he had forced on his younger sibling's form, he was a bit surprised when he could ghostly feel the softness of the black feathers. "I am surprised that you have yet to be taken over by the darkness fully. I would have thought that you would be a Heartless by now."  
  
Sephiroth glanced over at Ansem. "My insanity keeps me healthy and driven to resist the lull of power. I want only one thing, meaning that I am not greedy for more power. I already know that Cloud will be mine." He shifted to lean against the bookshelf, watching Ansem closely. "I've come to the conclusion that it is really greed that draws the darkness, that and using its power too often. A heart becomes weak when one becomes greedy." He smirked at Ansem's slow nod of approval.  
  
Ansem drifted back and started to descend the stairs of the library again. "I have many pawns that cannot see what you do about the darkness. Each one of them is a fool for power, and truly cannot understand just how exponentially the darkness can grow if it is not resisted." He stopped and looked back at Sephiroth, their gazes meeting equally. "My only desire is to understand what others cannot. I must open the doors myself...using whatever means possible. Limiting oneself to one single purpose slows the process, but everything returns to darkness eventually. It is a simple fact that cannot be denied." He shifted his gaze away from Sephiroth and beckoned his brother. "Come, I wish to show you something that you may find interesting."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud stalked down the hallway, very much aware that he was being followed, his every movement noted and probably recorded for Hades to look over at a later time. He growled and continued on his way, making for his room if only to attempt to bandage his still bleeding wounds.  
  
He was still annoyed over the insulting tongue-lashing that he had reached from Hades for wandering off without permission. He had done what Hades had asked of him, so he believed that he had a right to move off to accomplish other tasks that the god had no business in. No, he had been stuck standing in the middle of Hades' throne room, bleeding on the floors and being called various colourful names. He had said little in the exchange, not in the mood to play Hades' game of insults and guessing for answers that he was aware that Hades would dangle in front of him. So, Hades had grounded him like a child to the Underworld. He was not allowed to leave until Hades told him to, and he had been subjected to having a spirit tracking to make sure that he 'behaved' himself as Hades had put it. He felt like he was ten years old again with the treatment that he had received, which only made his mood more gloomy.  
  
He completely ignored anything that drifted by him, set on his destination, pulling his cloak up higher on his face so that only his eyes peeked out from beneath his golden bangs. However, he was forced to slow his pace as his stomach churned uncomfortably, wrapping an arm around his midsection in an attempt to calm the rebellion. He grunted in stubbornness to force his legs to continue forward even though he was certain that he left his ailing stomach behind. He was well aware of the sweat that was building on his brow, his aching muscles, throbbing wounds, and now grumbling stomach. He doubted that his day could get any worse.  
  
When he reached his door, he practically shoved it clean off of its hinges as he entered, cringing as the wood crashed loudly into the nearby wall. He quietly shut it behind him and rubbed his forehead as he stumbled over to his bed. He flopped down unceremoniously and struggled to kick off his boots, eventually succeeding in sending the offending objects across the room. He shook his head and flopped onto his back, folding his hands behind his head as all his aches and pains seemed to scream in the back of his mind.  
  
After a few minutes lying, he forced himself to his feet and removed his armour, belts and ruined sweater. He pulled out a knife from beneath his pillow and began to cut the material into long strips, clenching his teeth as his stomach gurgled its disapproval. Ignoring his discomfort, he began to wrap the strips of material around his waist, covering over the weeping wound that he had received in his battle against Leon. Though the wound was healing quickly, he still felt comfort in bandaging his injuries, an activity that he had done numerous times in his youth.  
  
He stood to find some water to wash the blood from his cheek, but he had barely managed three steps away from the bed when his stomach finally demanded attention. He froze as pain raced up his back, and he was forced roughly to his knees as liquid raced up his throat, choking and sputtering at the foul taste that came with it. He shook his head as he began to heave, his body thrusting forward with effort as inky black liquid mixed with ruby blood hit the floor and rolled down his chin. The vile substance burned his mouth and throat, and it sent shudders down his body as he attempted to force himself to remain on his hands and knees. He wiped his mouth quickly with the back of his hand as he forced himself to sit back against the bed, breathing heavily as his stomach threatened to react again. He desperately tried to catch his breath again, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as coldness spread from his back all around his body, seeming to turn his internal organs to ice.  
  
He pushed himself further against the bed as his glowing gaze settling on his black vomit, which now swirled on the floor. The liquid seethed and chittered noisily, rising up slowly from the floor, the inky blackness shifting into a form that took up more liquid than he had actually expelled from his body. He nearly clawed back further into the bed when he found himself staring up at a shadowed reflection of himself as a small child. He shook his head as the shadow turned to regard him, its features chiseled as if carved from stone, the eyes hollow and haunting of days long since dead. He involuntarily flinched when the shadow boy reached a hand towards him, its cold fingers smearing inky black over his cheek, causing him to suck in a sudden breath.  
  
"What...?!" Cloud squirmed away from the touch, leaping across the bed despite his ailments. He gasped when the boy was no longer there, as if he had imagined it all. He stood rigidly, breathing heavily until a small cold hand touch his back. He whirled, finding the same boy watching him with an inhuman wolfish grin. "Don't touch me!" He yelled as he tripped and scrambled to the other side of the bed, gaze fixed on the little figure. He couldn't remember the last time that he had felt this panicked. Of course, he couldn't remember seeing something this bizarre either.  
  
Yet, he didn't have time to react as strong freezing arms slipped under his own and pinned his shoulders, gaze arching to regard another shadowed version of himself. He attempted to struggle out of the impossibly strong hold, suddenly pushing back against the shadow holding him as he found the first one crawling towards him, its grin now taking on more sadistic qualities. He tried to scramble away, but the hold on his arms held tightly, and he found himself face-to-face with the little boy that now sat comfortably in his lap. He turned his face away when the little shadow almost tenderly ran a cold finger down his nose and over his lips. He tensed when the shadow leaned forward and nuzzled his cheek. He felt more freezing black liquid smear on his cheek and shuddered involuntarily.  
  
"Darkness rising." The shadow whispered, its voice much too old for the form it inhabited. It let a finger trace the blonde's ear lobe. "You are losing your touch..." It pulled back to grin cruelly, placing both of its small cold hands on the blonde's chest, enjoying the immediate tension in the muscles beneath its touch. "Hidden we were...punished for a crime we never knew. They hide us for all those years...shamed by us."  
  
Cloud felt his breath catch in his throat as the arms holding his shoulders gripped tighter. He forced his reeling brain to focus and to think logically, to find out the answers to these creatures' meanings and purpose. "You're not real. I'm dreaming again. What do you want?"  
  
The little shadow leaned forward, its hollow black sockets staring into glowing blue ones. "He never like us. He wished us dead...hid us instead." It cocked its head the side as it lifted a hand to trace the blonde's strong chin. "She never knew. She never loved us either."  
  
"Don't talk about her!" Cloud shouted back, surprised by his own angered voice. He was not so sure whom he was angrier at.  
  
"We can't even call her by what she is...mother. She bore us screaming into this world yet she wanted to take back our existence the moment she lay eyes on us..." The shadow leaned closer still, almost touching the blonde. "How does it feel to still be all alone? He abandoned us. She abandoned us. They left us to face the questions of the court alone...always alone." It followed the blonde's eyes, keeping their gazes locked until it received a stony glare, causing its grin to return to its previously sadistic form. "We fight alone, weep alone, desire alone...mourn alone. No one cares to understand us...they use us, want us, hold us, hurt us..."  
  
Cloud again tried to struggle out of the hold on his shoulders, grimacing as sharp claws began to dig into his flesh, the cold spreading down and numbing his muscles. When he could no longer feel his shoulders enough to struggle, he hardened his gaze at the child that now sat almost playfully on his knees, watching him. "Leave and say nothing more. I don't want to hear what you have to say, whatever you are. You know nothing about what has happened. You only assume that you know what I have felt. I won't let you manipulate my feelings."  
  
The little shadow chuckled softly and clapped its hands together as if it were playing a game. It slid itself forward on the blonde, settling itself on Cloud's hips. "The clock is ticking...our time is slipping away as the darkness rises." It ran a cold finger up the blonde's muscled chest, smirking cruelly. "We only wish to help, to save us...*he* wants us badly." It leaned forward. "*He* draws closer to us, desires us, makes moves to capture us...he knows where to find us. We are but a puppet with no strings that can be seen, but a puppet all the same. We are no more in control than the day she hid us and he stop speaking of us....How long until her secrets stop biting at us, tearing us...hindering us?"  
  
Cloud snarled and attempted to dislodge the boy, gasping when the arms holding him suddenly lost all of their strength and released him. He scrambled to catch himself, but fell from the bed anyway, landing hard on the floor. Yet, he rolled into a crouch, his gaze slipping around to find the shadowed boy watching him from a few feet away. He set his shoulders, pulling his wing from a relaxed position on his back. "Leave." He ordered firmly, clenching his demonic hand as he readied a strike against the creature if it persisted.  
  
The shadow chuckled again and gestured at the wing that stood from the blonde's back. "Remember to breathe when we slip below to surface. Only nightmares await us where we are going." He smirked knowingly as it began to dissolve away, slipping back into a black puddle before even the puddle crawled between the cracks in the floor.  
  
Cloud breathed in a tight breath and closed his eyes, feeling the cold that had taken hold of his body slowly begin to slip away. He reluctantly sat down on the floor as all his efforts had only succeeded in making him completely exhausted. He shook his head as he had trouble opening his eyes again, looking around at the floor around him for any sign that he would be attacked again. Without really thinking about it, he slammed his clenched demonic hand into the hard stone floor, gritting his teeth as pain laced up his arm.  
  
"Damn you..." He shook his head more violently as he felt a shadowed bit of laughter echo in his mind that was cut short suddenly. He remembered why she had stopped laughing; he had entered the room rubbing sleepy eyes, too young to understand what her silence really meant. "You always knew exactly how to hide me away so that no one knew about me. What did I do to shame you...and him?" His gaze stared blankly at the stone beneath him. "Then you left me to struggle up the ranks on my own...just like you always left me to struggle through everything on my own...." He clenched his teeth until the emotions settled again. "Damn you mother..."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth tucked the book he was holding beneath his arm and casually strode after Ansem. He followed his brother down to the lower ranks of Hollow Bastion's palace, weaving down blackened corridors that seemed to shift with their presence. He stopped when Ansem did, at an open door that he had never seen before. By the manner in which it appeared, it was obviously a secret door that had never been revealed to him, a fact that he was slightly annoyed about. The walls around him shifted with an inky black substance that seemed to stop at the door. For a moment, he wondered if this was even their destination, despite the fact that he had been in every other door in this hallway and had found nothing of interest in them.  
  
He followed more cautiously when Ansem drifted forward again, hand on the hilt of his sword in case this was an elaborate trap set by his older brother. Yet, he was surprised to find that the inky shadows did not enter this large room, rather there was glowing aqua crystals that jutted from the walls and illuminated to room in a sickly green light that kept the shadows at bay. The heat was intense and hit like running into a wall might. The heat only seemed to increase the further he entered into the room.  
  
The room was huge, yet it was mostly filled with a gapping hole directly in the middle. Within the extremely deep pit, his eyes locked on the source of the warmth of the room, a bubbling mass of aqua liquid that seethed and churned almost angrily. The greenish crystals seemed to hum softly as he stepped away from the pit.  
  
"What is this place?" He asked quietly, noting Ansem's gaze remained on the churning liquid. "I don't believe that you ever told me about this place, and do I dare ask why you've now brought me here?"  
  
Ansem smirked mockingly as he glanced over to Sephiroth. "A bastard had no place knowing such information. Father instructed me to keep anyone but myself away from this place for the simple fact that he had little understanding of it." He drifted over to his brother and reached out as if to touch one of the crystals. The hissing angered sound increased the closer his fingers drew, and he eventually pulled his hand back. "It appears that they are angry today. I don't think they like you very much, brother."  
  
"Who is 'they'?" Sephiroth asked coldly.  
  
"The voices of the planet, of course. I doubt you understand so I will tell you." Ansem sat in mid-air, far enough away from the crystals so that the pool only emitted a low grumbling of disapproval. "Every planet has a life force that nurtures and cures, blah blah, happy day. Now, when someone dies, their spirit enters this life-force to stand around and wait to be reborn, but the planet has its own voice that controls all of these spirits. Once the life force is consumed, say by the Heartless, the planet dies and a star goes out in the sky." He smirked and waved a hand when Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow at him. "The true goal of the Heartless seeking to consume a world is..." He gestured towards the pit. "...to consume that, thereby, killing the planet and consuming all the populous along with it. Until a planet's life force is consumed, the Heartless can only wait and increase the power and number by having more Heartless flood in through the keyhole that connects the planets."  
  
Sephiroth crossed his arms and walked back over to the pit, taking a step back when a blast of heat hit him. He glanced over at Ansem. "So, these cute little voices don't like us because we have some darkness in us."  
  
Ansem chuckled as he drifted over to where Sephiroth was standing. "No, no, our planet is particularly talkative. It has a strong will of its own and quite frankly, it is almost as obsessed about getting its strong heart back as you are to claim the strong heart for yourself." He smirked at his brother's angered glance at the equally angry crystals. "Because of Cloud's strength, it wishes him to return to be the planet's protector, and because of what you have told me about our General, the planet knows it only has a limited amount of time to do it." He leaned over the pit almost casually. "I find it quite fascinating that it knows about Strife's condition, probably because it feels his fading life-force."  
  
"And what will happen if Cloud returns here in a triumphant blaze of glory?" Sephiroth inquired.  
  
"Oh, he'll probably spend most of his remaining days fighting the Heartless here. Our General does not bear the keyblade, meaning that he cannot actually stop all the Heartless that will come after him." Ansem smirked and gestured for his younger sibling to follow. "The planet knows this too, but because it is slowly losing, it will do whatever it can to bring back its strong heart." He looked at Sephiroth and gestured to the crystals. "You are hindering the planets attempts to draw Strife home; therefore, the planet doesn't like you very much."  
  
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow and lifted his chin arrogantly. "The planet can't have what is mine. I won't share with a stupid dying rock. Cloud is mine and not even some glowing cesspool of death is going to stand in my way." He stalked from the room when the rumbling increased, stepping back into the darkened hallway. He glanced back to Ansem who seemed intent of drifting slowly after him. "Tell me where your notes are and I will leave you to whatever mad plan you've got running in that head of yours."  
  
Ansem smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I can't." He stopped beside his younger sibling, noting the displeased look he received and chuckled. "The report on the Heartless is gone. I ripped the pages out and dropped one here and there so that no one could really know as much about the Heartless as I did. Rather, they would not have enough knowledge to think that all my studies have led me to controlling the Heartless to further my own plans. By the time all the notes have been brought together, it will be too late to stop me." He leaned closer to his brother and grinned. "Everything is going according to plan."  
  
"You still don't have a body." Sephiroth pointed out as he started to walk down the hallway again.  
  
"Such matters are merely an inconvenience. My body is on its way, I guarantee that." Ansem smirked and gave Sephiroth a purposeful glance, causing a scowl to be shot back at him. He stopped drifting after his younger sibling and glanced back at the room they had been in previously. He smiled almost pleasantly and moved in front of Sephiroth's path. "I've decided."  
  
Sephiroth stopped walked despite the fact that he could probably just walk right through Ansem. He quirked an eyebrow in mock disinterest. "You've decided on what? This had better be good."  
  
"I don't want your body." Ansem declared. "I'll use that little brat that Maleficent has for me." He gave Sephiroth a purposeful look. "You are more useful to me alive and wandering about."  
  
"That's a good thing, I suppose. I wasn't planning on giving it to you anyway." Sephiroth snubbed his brother's mock hurt expression as he stepped around Ansem and continued walking. "I never give up what is mine, to you least of all." He ignored Ansem's snort of apprehension and started stepped from the hallway, glancing back to make sure that his older brother was not about to try something on him. He smirked when Ansem drifted passed him. "If you tried to take my body, I'd never get my hands on Cloud, now would I?"  
  
Ansem snorted in annoyance and crossed his arms across his chest, sending a glare at Sephiroth. "That won't matter, anyway. Even if you do manage to get your hands on Strife, he'll slip between your fingers before you can indulge in your victory." He cast a knowing glance back at his younger sibling and smirked evilly, beckoning Sephiroth closer as if he had a secret to tell. He bet to whisper in the other man's ear when Sephiroth reluctantly stopped in front of him. "The darkness will not just stop at a wing or a hand...no, Strife will be completely absorbed and become a Heartless. And if that happens..." He drifted away, smirk still etched in his features. He gestured around him at the walls. "Hollow Bastion goes with him...everything will die on this planet and its light will fade from the sky."  
  
Sephiroth blinked and took a small step back. "What?"  
  
"A strong heart consumed by darkness is a truly marvelous thing to watch...I myself have only seen it once. General Strife is doomed if he cannot fight back to hold off the darkness, meaning that you will probably be seeing him only in the afterlife where his soul will be cleaned of its impurities and he walks straight to hell. You can save a cozy stalagmite for him if you really want." Ansem snickered at his younger sibling's dumbfounded look and waited for the information to sink in.  
  
Sephiroth stood silent for a long while, eyes on the stone at his feet. This was not what he had expected to hear, nor did he like it very much. Having Cloud walking such a dangerous line without the power to stop his property from falling from the sky made him quite angry. Cloud was his, meaning that he should have the ability to choose the path that the blonde should walk, but he was hindered because of Hades. This was not according to plan at all! He would not allow Cloud to die, and he would not let the blonde slip through his fingers either. He would stop anyone from taking Cloud from his grasp, not matter the obstacle it took to pull the blonde closer into his hold. Obviously, the blonde required his aid, but he could not help Cloud if he was not able to touch or speak with the blonde. He would have to wait for the opportune moment to delicately extract his property from the danger.  
  
He felt his anger slip forward into his mind along with frustration, and he clenched his fist tightly against his side. He looked up at Ansem who stood almost patiently waiting his reaction. He settled his expression into complete neutrality as he began to walk past his older brother, climbing the stairs from the basement level. He glanced back when Ansem chuckled and followed him. "I'm leaving. I have worlds to destroy."  
  
"Ah, venting frustration again? Does this news mean that things are not going according to your plans?" Ansem drifted beside Sephiroth and hummed softly, watching his younger sibling out of the corner of his eye. When Sephiroth stopped and began to pull together a teleportation spell, he smirked and ran a hand through his white locks. "Before you go, dearest brother, do your best to keep General Strife from the area. It would be best for all of us."  
  
Sephiroth sent a glare over his shoulder at Ansem. "Why should I bother to help you? You've done nothing to help me so I owe you nothing." He shifted his hands as dark energy gathered around himself.  
  
Ansem chuckled softly. "If you keep him away, I'll keep the Heartless away from consuming the planet's energy, meaning you have longer with your 'precious' toy." He smirked and shifted himself in front of Sephiroth, catching his younger sibling's attention. "Oh, do drop by and visit again. I may even tell you if you actually managed to sire a certain General of mine."  
  
"You could just tell me now." Sephiroth shot back in irritation.  
  
"True, but then I wouldn't have any more fun with you. Sometimes, you make my life exciting." Ansem grinned and pulled the cloak hood up so that only his face remained exposed to Sephiroth. "Next time we meet, I will have a body. Until then, my brother."  
  
Sephiroth remained silent as the teleportation spell enveloped him, only giving Ansem one last stony glare for good measure. He closed his eyes as darkness filled his vision, and he was surprised by sudden soft laughter echoing around him, much too familiar than he would have liked. Perhaps Ansem had pulled a trick on him?  
  
"Elecia...?"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"How dare you!" The lithe blonde woman yelled, glaring at the obviously apologetic silver-haired man across from her. She stomped her foot angrily on the ground as she pulled her basket of fruit closer to her chest. "What kind of man runs into a woman and stands completely dumbfounded while she has to clean up the mess that he made! Some gentleman you are." She swiveled quickly, her wild long blonde locks shifting back over her shoulder with her rough movements. Next to her, her sister desperately tried to calm her down. "Stop it, Aeryn! I've never met anyone so rude!"  
  
Sephiroth glanced back at the shocked guards at his right, a bit stunned himself by this show of female intolerance. He was so shocked that he forgot to be offended and merely stood looking between the angered blonde woman and the men who he was showing about the fourth district of the city. He had never been treated in such a manner, and if he were not so astonished by the blonde's rage, he might have tried to put the woman back in her place. Yet, he did not. He stood and eventually held out a hand in an attempt to calm the woman. "I...I'm sorry. I did not see you there, miss..."  
  
"Elecia, please! Let's just go home!" The younger woman asked, taking hold of her sister's arm.  
  
Elecia swiveled back to face the silver-haired man, blue eyes flashing dangerously. She pointed a finger at the man, watching as his glowing aqua eyes crossed to watch the offending finger. "Of course you didn't see me! I may be a commoner compared to you, but I will not tolerate such rudeness! You should know better than to run over a woman carrying her groceries!" She pulled her finger back and glared at the silver-haired man. When he merely stared down at her, she growled. "Staring is almost as rude!"  
  
"I'm sorry. It's just..." Sephiroth knew that they were quickly drawing a crowd and his men were standing in shocked silence as he was yelled at. No one had enough balls to yell at him, but he quickly realized that the fact that Elecia was a woman put him into confusion. He was the most important member of the Royal Guards, and he was being reduced to standing silent under the fury of a woman. He wondered if this woman even knew who he was. Yet, he didn't have time to ponder if it was wise to question the blonde as the furious woman turned on her heel and stormed off down the dusty street. "I apologize...?" He called after her, more than a little confused as she completely ignored him.  
  
As soon as she was out of sight, Sephiroth closed his eyes as the silence descended into a chaos of whispers. He sighed heavily and glanced around, finding the other shorter blonde bowing in apologetic meekness. He held up his hand, allowing the woman silent permission to leave and watched her hurry after the heated Elecia. He immediately turned and gave his men a hard look, silencing all of them. "Enough. Fall in line and we'll finish your rounds."  
  
He stalked off down the street, yet his mind drifted back to the fury that had washed over him only moments before. He shook his head as his temper seemed to shorten as he processed the previous encounter. However, the more that he thought about the blonde woman, the more he felt to urge to track her down...for what, he was not so sure. Perhaps show the commoner proper etiquette when standing around a noble...a bastard noble, but a noble all the same. He had never been subjected to such anger in all of his days, and the fact that the blonde had not even blinked when she turned to regard him to commence yelling confused him considerably. He was known around every district of the city so it was impossible that the woman did not know who he was, but Elecia had treated him as if he were just another commoner. He was not sure if he wanted to be offended by her treatment just yet.  
  
Sephiroth managed to sit through four whole days before finally tracking the blonde down. In that time, he had gone from irritated to bewildered to confused to happy. He really couldn't figure the woman's actions out, and the scientist in his blood urged him to make an attempt to find out the answers that he did not know. He admitted that he was interested in Elecia, if only to solve the puzzle of why she had treated him as she had. The commoners had always treated him as a noble, despite his birthright, but the blonde woman had either failed to notice who he was or did not care in the least. Which ever it was, he decided that he really wanted to know.  
  
So, he found himself standing in the lower level of the Fourth District in front of a green door. He almost casually knocked, but it was evident from the stares that it was assumed that he was here purely on business; he was well aware that most of the people thought that he was here to punish the woman for her previous rudeness. Still, he waited patiently until the door flew open and the same blonde woman stood in the doorway, small knife in one hand and a potato in the other. Just seeing her in such a fashion made his mind blank out any thoughts that he had planned to say so he stood dumbfoundedly before her from the second time.  
  
Elecia looked the silver-haired man up and down as if he had no purpose being in front of her. She looked out the door to see her neighbours much too interesting in her business and glared at each one of them. She quickly turned her attention to the silver-haired man. "What do you want?"  
  
Sephiroth drew in a deep breath and forced his sluggish mind to cooperate with his commands. He had never lost track of his thoughts before, and it worried him that the blonde had such an effect on him. Luckily, he knew that his expression had not changed from neutral so he recovered quickly and nodded at the blonde. "I came to formally apologize for the other day. I'm afraid that I was consumed with other business at the point where you stepped into my path." He inwardly smirked at his smoothness.  
  
Elecia quirked a blonde eyebrow and looked the silver-haired man up and down again as if to check his sanity. Eventually, she put her hands on her hips and drew in a deep breath. She was inwardly pleased that she had managed to even catch a noble's attention with her anger, and she was impressed that this man had tracked her down to apologize. Obviously, he was more of a gentleman than she had given him credit for. Slowly, she nodded and beckoned him inside, scowling when he merely stood watching her. "Are you planning on standing there all day? Is my house not good enough for you, noble?"  
  
"I didn't say that." Sephiroth replied as he tucked to step inside the house, surprised by the instant homely feeling that surrounded him as the door shut behind him. He turned to regard the blonde as she stalked back to the small wooden table where several potatoes were sitting. He quirked an eyebrow when she went back to work, completely ignoring him. He eventually shifted his weight and cleared his throat. "Do you know who I am?" He was not sure why he asked, but he felt the need to start somewhere in his analysis of the blonde.  
  
Elecia glanced up from her potato before shrugging her shoulders. "'course. You are only the most powerful noble amoung the commoners who walks with a complete stick up your behind." She didn't need to look up to know that her words had caught the silver-haired man off guard. She gestured to the seat across from her without looking up, intent on her business. It didn't matter to her if the silver-haired man stood all day; he was actually quite a looker so she had no problem with the view. She did eventually look up when he did not seat himself. "You just gonna stand there and look all pretty? It's hardly a way to impress me."  
  
"Who said I'm trying to impress you?" Sephiroth retorted as he took a seat after removing his sword from his belt. He pushed the chair back from the table to stretch out his legs, watching the blonde closely.  
  
Elecia couldn't help a grin spreading across her features, the first pleasant expression that she displayed for Sephiroth. "If ya didn't want to impress me, ya wouldn't have come in." She watched the man and tossed him the knife in her hand, nodding in appreciation when he picked it out of the air. She stood, wiped her hands on her apron and went to retrieve another knife, eventually seating herself again. She reached over and rolled a potato over to the silver-haired man. "While you're just sitting showing off your manly might, you mine as well be useful."  
  
Sephiroth looked skeptically at the offending potato that was tottering in front of him. He had never been ordered to do anything, least of all peeling vegetables. "You want me to peel potatoes?"  
  
"You can balance it on the top of your head for all I care." Elecia replied, brushing back some of her wild blonde locks with her arm, glancing up when Sephiroth appeared confused with the request, a small smile pulling at her lips. She admitted that she liked the shy manner which he picked the potato up and made attempts to peel it. She knew the inevitable would happen and chuckled when the silver-haired man finally managed to catch a finger on the knife. "Cut away from yourself. You'll lose a finger if you keep that up."  
  
"You could have informed me before." Sephiroth said with more than a little annoyance. How the heck had he managed to get convinced into peeling a potato? He looked over at Elecia, felt his stomach flutter slightly and quickly returned his gaze to the vegetable. He became distinctly aware of how warm the room was and how it smelled of drying herds, a natural homely smell. He shook his head slightly and made another attempt at the potato. He was not sure if it was the blood from his finger or his subtle nervousness, but he blinked when the offensive vegetable leapt from his hand and bounced across the table. He found himself staring at it, trying to figure out how it had escaped his grasp. "I..."  
  
Elecia looked from the potato to the silver-haired man then back again. "You dropped your potato, General." It was the first time that she acknowledged his rank, and she was greatly amused when he scowled at her. She shot back a dirty look of her own before going back to her choirs. "You make it look like you've never seen a raw vegetable before...let alone handled one. You had better hope that potatoes don't grow a mind of their own and attack the town because you would be helpless to stop them."  
  
Sephiroth scowled, his arm shooting out with lighting speed, the knife in his hand slamming into the table so hard that the potato he was aiming for split in half and the knife was imbedded so deeply that the table cracked slightly. He was forced to sit back in shock when the blonde didn't even flinch or look up, rather she appeared to still be completely unimpressed with him. He looked away when she continued to peel as if he had not even moved, clenching a fist to settle his temper and his thoughts. All he could think was that Elecia was a piece of work, one that he admitted was more confusing and real than anyone he had ever confronted. He felt stripped of all of his securities in front of her, vulnerable and confused. He was not so sure that he liked this feeling, nor did he want to deny its existence by suddenly leaving her home.  
  
Elecia finally put down the peeled potato and looked at the two halves that were still rolling on the table. She completely ignored the mostly bent knife imbedded in her table. "Well, I guess that settles what kind of potatoes I'm having tonight. Roasted potatoes it is, General."  
  
"Sephiroth."  
  
"Hmm?" Elecia finally raised her eyes to the silver-haired man, and she found herself unable to suppress a warm smile.  
  
"Please, call me Sephiroth, not General." Sephiroth replied quietly, not sure why he would want her to call him by his actual name, but it seemed much more proper. He only enjoyed being called 'General' by his men.  
  
Elecia slowly nodded her head. "Alright, Sephiroth." She began to cut the potatoes into halves. When she was finished, she gathered the halves together into a pile and glanced at the silver-haired man. "Well, you're a big boy so I take it you eat a good share. I'm glad I pulled more potatoes than I could eat." She stood and ignored Sephiroth's slightly confused look, instead moving to stoke the fire to an appropriate heat. "I hope you don't mind chicken. I realize you nobles eat much more extravagant food, but chicken is what I'm having so that means it is what you are having."  
  
Sephiroth cocked his head to the side before quirking an eyebrow. "Are you inviting me to dinner?" He asked in slight bewilderment. This woman sure knew how to confuse him.  
  
"Inviting? Of course not." Elecia turned back to regard the silver-haired man, wiping her hands on her apron again. "I'm telling you that you are staying." She smiled as she gathered up the potatoes into a bowl before casting a glance at Sephiroth. "Since you wandered all this way to apologize, I mine as well practice some manners by cooking a meal. If that offends you, I could just get mad again and yell at you."  
  
"I don't believe I've given you a reason to yell at me." Sephiroth replied coolly.  
  
Elecia laughed softly and shook her head, patting the silver-haired man on the shoulder as she passed by. "Darling, women don't need a reason to start yelling. You're mere presence is cause enough." She smiled when the chair behind her shifted. "Obviously the General has not been associating with many women. Poor boy." Again, the chair shifted. "Come now, Sephiroth, no need to be nervous about your inexperience. If anything, it makes you seem more human. I promise not to tell your little secret to all the swooning women who are stupider than pigs and just as ugly."  
  
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow, not fully aware of the women that Elecia spoke of. In the court, most women gazed longingly from a distance but never approached him. It was common knowledge that he was not of proper birth, meaning that he could never hope for children of his own, not that he would want any. He had enough trouble dealing with the mentality of seventeen-year-old boys, let alone anything below that age. Perhaps Elecia was speaking of the women of the lower districts?  
  
Despite himself and the obvious effects that this could prove if he managed to anger the blonde, he stood and almost casually pulled the knife out of the table. He glanced over to where Elecia was busily bent pulling the potatoes into the enclosed fire stove, blinking when he caught himself admiring the view. He walked almost cautiously over to where the blonde was working and leaned against the nearby wall. "I'm afraid that I'm not so sure that I'm aware of the women that you speak of."  
  
Elecia glanced over to the silver-haired man and shook her head. "The nit-wits who can do nothing but gab about you all day. I swear, those women sigh at a mere glance in their general direction from you."  
  
"Do you?" Sephiroth inquired almost innocently. He watched Elecia suddenly stop all movements and slowly stand to regard him. He could tell that she was not angry at the casual question since her eyes were still calm unlike the other time he had seen her.  
  
Elecia leaned a little closer to the silver-haired man. "I don't believe we know each other well enough to be asking personal questions." She shot him an arrogant smirk and when back to cooking, glancing to the side when his boot shifted but he remained close to her. She thought her comment would have sent him away again, but as her eyes drifted upwards, she found his eyes on her still, as if expecting an answer more to his liking. She stood and looked him up and down. "Alright General, I'll admit that you are an attractive man, but I don't sigh for any man. Besides, you aren't my type."  
  
Sephiroth watched Elecia and tried to figure out what exactly 'her type' meant. "I'm afraid that I don't understand what is 'your type'."  
  
Elecia cocked her head to the side before smirking. "I'm too much woman for someone like you to handle. You wouldn't last a day with me."  
  
"Is that a challenge?" Sephiroth questioned, folding his arms across his chest. He watched the blonde turn to regard him, her blue eyes flashing with a determined look that made him lift his chin slightly. He was not afraid of any thing, though he admitted confusion to this woman. However, he was not about to back down from any sort of challenge if she claimed it as one, but as he watched her, he found that she was probably not going to answer his question without some more help on his part. "I don't back down from challenges. If you think that you are good enough to beat me...highly unlikely...then so be it."  
  
"Well then, I guess we have ourselves a challenge then, General. I'll have you whipped by the end of dinner." Elecia shot at the silver-haired man, turning her back to him as she went back to cooking, but her mind drifted to the occupied space next to her. She gritted her teeth as she found her attraction to this man increasing quickly. She had yet to meet a man that willing challenged her back. 'Damn it, he's...good.' She glanced over at his boots, feeling a slight tingle jump up her spine. She shuddered, knowing exactly what that meant, despite the fact that she had promised herself to never do it again. She sighed heavily and shook her head. 'I am not falling for this man. Not! Are you listening, Elecia? We are not going to fall for a noble!'  
  
Sephiroth shifted his weight more comfortably and smirked. He was a determined man, meaning that he would not lose to just anyone. If the blonde wanted to defeat him, it would have to be some great feat. He was confident in his skills to outwit anyone, especially this woman. So, he watched her, cocking his head to the side as he watched her body move fluidly, admiring her features. He felt his smirk shift into a pleasant smile as she glanced over at him and tensed when her eyes felt like a bolt of lightning as the met with his.  
  
He climbed from leaning on the wall and suddenly looked away from the blonde, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. His knees felt more shaky than he last remember and he nearly groaned loudly as he quickly came to realize that something bad was happening. He had never felt it before, but he simply knew. 'God...no! I am NOT falling for this woman!'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Okay, I was in such a good mood that I managed to finish this chapter. It is a bit later than I usually do, but other stuff has come up. Oh well, I'm trying to do my best to get a chapter out a week.  
  
Hopefully, I'll be speeding up the plot so that I can bring Sora back for another round against Cloud. Of course, then I have to fit in that next confrontation that I promised. Hmm, what kind of dream to put them in this time. There are so many possibilities!  
  
Well, I hope you all enjoyed it, and I thank you all for reading. 


	9. Darkness Descends

Darkness Rising  
  
By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Heehee, I just wanted to say that when ' happens, it is to indicate a dream-like voice that Cloud can only hear unless otherwise specified. Of course, we all know that Cloud is crazy and hears voices in his head. ~{ indicates one very special person's speech who will become rather obvious as the chapter proceeds. Of course, only Cloud can hear the voice (Geez, I give him way too many voices in his head)  
  
SPECIAL NOTE/WARNING: I know, I know, but I just have to put up a warning for slight shounen-ai in this chapter between two males. There is not much aside from a few kisses and the occasional grope. If this offends or scares you, please do not read ahead. I am not to blame for any cracked brains out there.  
  
Chapter 8 - Darkness Descends  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The life of the planet known as Hollow Bastion surged and shifted, the many voices all echoing at the same time. Its previously subtle attempts to draw back the planets strong heart had failed thanks to the darkness that acted as a shield against its calls. The life force was very much aware of the slowly falling state of its protector, and, though it did not feel emotion, it worried and toiled in its strong hearts desperate struggles to avoid the darkness that was waiting to take over the blonde's heart at a moments notice.  
  
Its own desperation for its warrior to defend against the Heartless that was invading more and more was also increasing. It knew that it was slowly losing its hold and the planet was slowly but surely dying. If it could draw enough power to vanquish the Heartless, it would. However, it was aware that such attempts would be futile until the keyhole was sealed away. So, it called out to its strong heart for protection until that time.  
  
It had universally decided that it was the essence known as Ansem that was to blame for the recent serge of darkness that was biting at its energy, and it was more than angry with the influx of evil on its surface. It wanted to be rid of Ansem, even if it meant killing the former ruler's current body. It also wished that the Princesses of Heart were removed and dispersed again, if only to force the gate to the End of the World to be sealed away forever. Only it was allowed to know the secret of Kingdom Hearts, and it was angered that its careful secrets were known by many now.  
  
A small essence of the planet drifted forward, the ball of energy slowly molding into a shape, a strong body with arms and legs forming around a single consciousness. The green energy melted back into the full pool of life force, leaving a dark-haired man standing looking off into some distant place. He ran a hand through his spiky black locks, enjoying the feeling of a temporary form aside from the green life force. Slowly, he turned to regard the seething mass of his fellows, a small grin pulling at his lips. He said nothing and waited to be instructed as to his new task.  
  
'You are his guardian, appointed by us at the time of his birth. Bring home our warrior.' The planet churned and shifted around the young man, almost nuzzling him. He was their own, the one creation that they had made to offer protection and guidance to its strong heart. It was pleased by him, both because he was one with them and because he had gained the trust of its strong heart. 'We must protect our warrior and ourselves. It is time he returned home to us. We will protect his heart.'  
  
The dark-haired man closed his glowing blue eyes and slowly nodded his head. Like the rest of the planet, he could feel the fading life force of the blonde warrior, but unlike the planet, he had the ability to feel worry for Cloud. 'Consider him returned. We will protect him as best as we can and urge him to return.' The dark-haired man shook his head, aware that he would have to work to force himself to consider his individuality, especially around the blonde.  
  
'Protect him from the cursed ones. This...Sephiroth is drawing too close. We must draw our warrior home to battle the cursed one as best as possible.' The planet grumbled in anger at the thought of the silver-haired General. That same man had come quite close to it only a short time ago, and it was displeased with this. Had it the strength, it would have removed the cursed one for good when Sephiroth had appeared to it. 'Do what we must to keep that man away from our strong heart.'  
  
The dark-haired man waved a hand at the planet. 'Yeah, yeah, we got it.' He pulled further away from the planet's safety, waving a hand in the air to form clothing around his naked form. He doubted that Cloud would be pleased to see him wandering about naked and insisting on speaking in public. 'Where is he? Have we found him yet?'  
  
The planet rumbled in almost frustration, a few definite facial outlines appearing in the sea of glowing green. The outlines growled and shifted to match a facial expression to the mood it considered itself aware of. 'We have only little contact with him. It must be drawn deep into the realm of the dead of another planet. We have no place within those places on other planets, but we feel our warrior on the move.' It shifted in agreement with many different voices. 'We sense that he will be available for contact very soon. Go, and find him.'  
  
'Right, find Cloud, pester him, save his skinny butt from the darkness, and bring him home...Yeah, that sounds as easy as shaving someone's body with a dull razor.' The dark-haired man noted that the planet did not react in understanding to his mockery, but it had obviously sensed his displeasure with the task for it began to draw him back into the wisps of green. He waved his hands in the air. 'Whoa, whoa, we know! We will do the task we are appointed for. We've heard this speech before!' He mock brushed his clothing when the planet grumbled and released its hold on him. 'We are his guardian who guides, serves, and protects the strong heart. We are the only one with the ability...and social skills...to communicate and befriend our warrior and bring him back to his place of...blah blah blah...Yeah, we've heard the motivational speech before.'  
  
'Just go...' The planet replied, shoving the dark-haired man towards full freedom. It admitted that it was pleased when the dark-haired man shifted and disappeared from the inside of the planet. Though it had a connection with the man because he was still part of itself, it would only communicate rarely. It was dangerous to alert the former ruler that it was on the move to draw back its strong heart.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hades drifted down the shadowed hallway, formulating new plans and re-evaluating old ones. His plans had so far been going in a forward direction, and he was pleased by this fact. Since the arrival of his newest additions to the Underworld, he found that priorities were getting finished much more quickly and his percentage rate of incompetence was dropping.  
  
He admitted that Sephiroth was performing much more effectively than Cloud, but as far as he was concerned, he had given the blonde a much harder task and the fact that Cloud could think in logical manner most of the time made the blonde more effective in the long run. Of course, it was obvious that Cloud was also considerably easier to manipulate and keep control of, a fact that he often reveled in when he insulted the blonde. Because of the blonde warrior's mental stability and quiet manners, it was easy to call Cloud up whenever he felt the need. Sephiroth, on the other hand, came and went as the silver-haired man pleased and did not tolerate his insults for very long. Comparing the two warriors, he would be best if he could keep them both, but if he had to choose between the two of them, he would much rather keep the blonde around. As soon as Cloud finished Hercules off, he could set the blonde loose on all of his remaining enemies.  
  
Of course, because he had restricted the blonde's movements since Cloud had wandered off, he was much more aware of how the younger warrior worked. Silent and stubborn, Cloud was quite predictable from the outside, but he admitted that he really was no closer to understanding what thoughts ran through that spiky blonde head. The blonde often never voiced any strong opinion and kept more to the shadows when it came to mocking personal issues. Really, most of his inquires into Cloud had turned up very little details so the blonde's past was cloaked in mystery. Although he enjoyed mysteries, he was frustrated because he couldn't use the warrior's past if he didn't know what it was. He wanted to set a situation where the blonde would fall into his hold for a longer period of time, and, aside from using Sephiroth, he was no closer in getting the blonde to remain where he wanted Cloud. All of his attempts in the last weeks had failed.  
  
Really, his frustration towards Cloud had turning into elation for Sephiroth. With each passing day, his power was growing as the former General plundered worlds at his command. The silver-haired man even managed to fulfill the duties of a proper psychopomp by leading all of the newly deceased souls into his realm. The almost constant influx had changed his mood towards the intolerance that he often showed Sephiroth, and he even managed to stand by when the silver-haired man insisted on spending some time with the blonde when Cloud was deeply asleep. Though he was pleased, he had openly refused to allow another encounter with the blonde until Sephiroth had preformed all the duties he set down. He could tell that his decision was slowly grating on the former General's tolerance towards the new job, and Hades knew that he would have to allow the silver-haired man a dream soon. He knew that Sephiroth would dare not overstep any boundaries, so he would just have to make some that he just wouldn't tell the former General about.  
  
He stopped when he was in front of the blonde's bedroom, quirking an eyebrow at an anger shout before the wooden door shuddered as something obviously heavy smashed into. At first, he thought that someone else must have been in Cloud's room, especially considering that he had never really seen the blonde angry, but as he leaned a little closer, he came to the conclusion that it was indeed Cloud. He couldn't tell for sure until the blonde's massive blade smashed through the wood and sailed by in front of his path, coming a little too close to his robes. He grinned and peeked in the rather large hole in the door. "Is it that time of the month, Blondie?" He noted that the blonde's back was to the door, quirking an eyebrow as Cloud's demonic wing hung limply at a very odd angle, obviously broken. "There is treatment for erectile dysfunction you know...I can ask Zeus if you need it."  
  
Cloud slowly turned to regard Hades, his expression shifting to stony neutral. He let the small knife slip from his grasp, listening distantly as it clattered to the floor. The voices that had driven him to express his frustration slowly began to fade away until they were a dull whisper that tickled the edges of his conscious mind. He drew in a deep breath and stalked over to the door, ignoring pain that caused left shoulder and arm to tremble. Unceremoniously, he pulled the wooden door open and flung it to the side, stepping out into the darkened hallway to retrieve his sword.  
  
He slowly bent to grab the sword, closing his eyes as his broken wing shifted, the muscles attached to the broken appendage screaming at him. He felt a rush of fire lace up his side as he forced himself upright again, turning more slowly to regard Hades. He started to walk back to his room, allowing his sword to drag behind him in such a fashion that the occasional spark jumped from the stone. He lifted his demonic hand when Hades attempted to speak. "Don't talk. The mere sound of your voice makes me want to slit my own wrists." He tossed his sword into his room again, noting that it crashed into the mussed bed, turned on his heel and slammed the door again, shaking his head when one of the hinges gave way.  
  
Hades glanced at the door out of the corner of his eye and considered his next course of action. He had obviously caught the blonde at a bad moment, though he would be interested to see just how Cloud planned to slit a wrist with the enormous blade. It was almost tempting to let the blonde go ahead with the cute little attempt, though it would be more than a little messy to clean up afterwards. He really didn't want Blondie blood all over the room; stains like that were difficult to remove.  
  
He stepped into the blonde's room as if there was no door, drifting over to where Cloud sat on the bed staring at the floor. He moved close enough so that he could see what had caught the blonde's attention, but quickly grew bored with the lack of activity and took a step back. He examined his fingernails as he was ignored. "Did someone wake up on the wrong side of life?" He looked around when the blonde said nothing. "Okay, okay, are you mad because you've been grounded you for a month? I mean...come on! It wasn't my fault you decided that you would like to take a friendly stroll around the worlds and nearly get yourself killed at the same time!" He let his arms fall to his side limply when again Cloud did not react to him. "Giving me the silent treatment will only extend your grounding, young man."  
  
Cloud shifted his gaze from the floor to Hades before going back to ignoring the god. He was not in the mood to be dealing with anything but his own thoughts of why he was suddenly hearing voices that were constantly demanding he go back home. He had never heard these voices before, except for sometimes whispers moved through his dreams, but now he was regularly harassed during the day with a combination of force that almost always gave him a headache. Trying to distract himself with training hardly ever helped either; rather, it usually encouraged the voices to speak louder and shriek about some strange force building. He had nearly given up trying to find away around the calls that were often too muddled with many voices to have a message that was distinguishable. All he knew was that if he sat quietly, they would eventually recede away but never fully gone.  
  
He glanced over when Hades attempted to prod his damaged wing, slapping the blue hand away before gritting his teeth in pain and shutting his eyes tightly. When the pain drifted away to manageable, he lifted his glowing gaze back to Hades. "Don't touch it. Just leave me alone."  
  
Hades put his hands on his hips and glowered down at the blonde, looking too much like a parent. "None of that lip, young man, or you'll get a good spanking." He huffed and drifted around to the other side of the blonde so that he was not so interested in poking Cloud's broken wing, shoving the blonde's good shoulder roughly. He grinned when Cloud leapt to his feet and seized the front of the blonde's sweater. "Remember who you work for, pawn. I control your destiny so I suggest you hold that tongue of yours."  
  
Cloud pulled back against Hades' hold on him, glaring at the god. "Even a lowly pawn can become king."  
  
"Or queen in your case." Hades shot back, pulling the blonde closer to his body so that their faces were only a few inches apart. "You've got skill, even I will admit that. However, I have no use for patheticness so buck up or I'll have your cute little soul faster than you can blink." He grinned when their gazes met and nodded his head. "That's right. I don't need permission to grab a soul. As far as I am concerned, you've already breached your contract, meaning that I can do whatever I want with you."  
  
"Our deal only said that I had to kill--"  
  
Hades shook the blonde until Cloud went silent, his hair shifting briefly to red. "I make the rules down here." He released his hold on the blonde and rubbed his hand on Cloud's shoulder as if to wipe off a dubious substance. "Now, I've been very nice with you, Blondie...nicer than most gods. I've let you get away with a lot of stuff, including disobeying a direct order. And you know what?" He drifted back towards the door, glancing back as Cloud followed his movements. "I'm still going to be nice to you because if I don't, you won't kill Jerk-ules." He stopped at the doorway, gaze still fixed on the glowing blue eyes set equally on him. "Now, I may get a mindless soul out of selling you out, but you are much more useful to me in a body and willing to fight. So, I give you another chance to prove yourself to me."  
  
Cloud quirked an eyebrow and readjusted his sweater back into place, smoothing down the material again. "You want me to fight again?"  
  
"Hey, you catch on quick. Damn rights, I want you to fight." Hades swiveled to fully face the blonde. "This time, you will get to fight your intended target. I only managed to swing a third seat placing for you so you have to defeat everyone below you to move forward, but the thick-headed brat will be there."  
  
"Hercules?"  
  
"No, the other thick-headed brat." Hades sighed when Cloud only stared at him. "Wow, no long-term memory in that spiky head of yours, I see. I guess being a warrior does have its advantages...get to forget all your enemies so fighting them again is a new adventure." He noted that Cloud only continued to stare at him. "Remember that kid with the duck and the dog?"  
  
Cloud slowly nodded. "Sora."  
  
"Yeah, that thick-headed brat is back. He's fighting in it too, but considering you smacked them around like Hera on a bad date, I'm sure you'll do fine." Hades smirked at the blonde's sudden small grin and turned back towards the door. "The tournament starts tomorrow morning so get that wing patched up and don't be late. I'll do more than just ground you if you're late."  
  
"And if I fail?" Cloud inquired softly, running a hand over his aching shoulder.  
  
Hades stopped in the doorway and chuckled softly. "Let's not talk about what will happen if you fail. I don't want to break your short-term memory right now...it's the only thing going for you." He waved a hand as he left through the door again.  
  
Cloud flopped down on his disheveled bed again, wincing as his shoulder murmured its disapproval to his movements. He folded his hands in his lap and slowly nodded his head. He needed to finish with his contract, meaning that he needed to do whatever it took to kill the demi-god that Hades wanted removed. The sooner he removed his contract, the sooner he could deal with things that kept easing into his mind when he was not fully paying attention. If he could finish Hercules off, then Hades would give him information on Sephiroth. Once he had that information, he could finish his business with the former General and make plans to finding his planet again. Of course, once he was back on Hollow Bastion, he had no idea what he would do, probably fight the Heartless.  
  
His urges to return to his planet were steadily increasing to the point where he could not even sleep without dreaming of it. He was always back walling the halls of his planet, feeling the breeze on his face and the smooth stone walls against his fingertips. He could hear the murmurs of other guards as if they were walking by him, but he could never see just who exactly was talking. He missed the halls, the meetings, the boring midnight guard shift, even the courtly dances where he needed to dress in full uniform and stand around while women fawned all over him. He wanted to be back there, and he always returned when he slept. Yet, when he slept, he was never alone.  
  
He could feel it in the back of his mind, that presence that had been his only source of friendship when he was growing up. ~He~ had always visited and spoke of how special he was, the most special being on the entire planet. He would see a flash of ~his~ thick black hair out of the corner of his eye while he walked through his dreamscape. He occasional heard ~his~ soft chuckles on the breeze, or he even swore that he felt a soft tap on his shoulder. Yet, when he turned, ~he~ was never there. In some ways, he wondered what ~he~ wanted because ~he~ never appeared to him unless ~he~ wished to say something or sit with him.  
  
He shook his head and forced himself to his feet. He had preparations to make before his fights tomorrow, and he especially needed to repair his damaged wing. He had to be in a solid mindset, hardened to the task that he had to accomplish. Once he was finished at the tournament, he could find Sephiroth then return to Hollow Bastion. It was a sound idea in his mind, but he knew that every sound plan had its tangents to wade through. Still, he had a job to do, and he was stubborn enough to get it done at his own pace.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Cloud turned from rooting around in his locker to face the key-blade master, glancing at the brunette's other friends. He raised his hand slightly in a gesture of silent 'hello' and adjusted his armour more tightly. He let his gaze drift over Sora's appearance, noting the obvious air of strength around the boy, meaning that the key-blade master had improved in skill. He nodded silently to himself and forced a small smile on his face, pulling his wing closer to his back. "Long time no see."  
  
Sora grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I've been really busy with stuff." He looked over to Goofy before flopping down on the wooden bench beside the blonde, swinging his legs out in a childish manner. "I didn't see you at the last two tournaments." He said, meaning it more as a silent question than an actual statement.  
  
"I was busy with...other priorities." Cloud replied softly, adjusting the belts around his legs more comfortably.  
  
"So...I see that you are the third seat in this tournament. Do you think that you're going to win?" Sora asked almost casually, folding his hands behind his head.  
  
Cloud shrugged his shoulders as he let his footfall back to the ground, now reaching for his gigantic sword. He casually strapped it to his back as his eye drifted to were the brunette's friends had wandered off to give them some privacy. "It doesn't matter if I win or lose. As long as you learn something new in a fight, you are a winner. Being the overall winner of a tournament is just a small merit for the skills you already know." He pulled his gloves more snugly on his hands and turned to regard Sora fully. "Do you think that you are going to win?"  
  
"I don't know." It was Sora's turn to shrug his shoulders, slightly amazed by the wisdom that the blonde exhibited. Although, from his conversations with Leon and Aerith about Cloud, he could easily pick up the fact that something was hidden about the blonde that no one was willing to speak up on. He was not sure what it was, but he was slowly growing suspicious that all three had come from the same world, meaning that they had all grown up together. Yet, a few strange comments from Aerith lead him to believe that Cloud was actually older than both Leon and Aerith, a fact that he couldn't puzzle out because, in some ways, Leon looked older than the blonde. The more he talked with them about Cloud, the more he became confused with what concept he had missed, the big secret that always remained hidden. He wondered if Cloud would tell if asked.  
  
He swiveled to face the blonde fully, pulling his knees up to his chest before resting his chin on his knees. He wondered where the strange glow came from in the blonde's eyes. "What world do you come from, Cloud? It's obvious that you're not from the Underworld, despite your abilities with the darkness." He watched the blonde's chin sink deeper behind the red cloak and silently pouted. "I might have been to your world. Donald, Goofy, and I have been to a lot of worlds lately."  
  
Cloud slowly nodded his head before forcing his chin from his cloak again. There was really not much harm in telling Sora what planet he had stepped from. "I came from Hollow Bastion."  
  
"Hey, so you know Aerith, Leon, and Yuffie then!" Sora chirped, now certain that the blonde had grown up with the other three. He watched the blonde turn away and shut the locker door. "How come I don't see you with them, then? I fought Leon and Yuffie in the last tournament, but they never mentioned you even when I asked."  
  
Cloud silently cursed and ran a hand through his blonde spikes. He should have realized that the other three would have mentioned him if asked, though he doubted that Leon had anything nice to say about him. He forced himself to consider an answer that would not reveal too much about himself. "We lived on opposite sides of the planet. I never really knew them."  
  
Sora could sense that the blonde was not telling the whole truth and wondered if he should call Cloud on it. He had no idea what kind of bad blood would have occurred to make Cloud and Leon dislike each other, but he thought that it had to have been something pretty bad. "Aerith said that she grew up with you." He pointed out softly.  
  
Cloud knew that he visibly flinched despite his best efforts to keep neutral. He turned slowly to regard Sora and sighed heavily, shaking his head slightly as he leaned back against the locker behind him. "She was the only one that I knew on my planet. I... nevermind."  
  
"No, what?" Sora asked, quite oblivious to the cause of the sudden tension around the blonde.  
  
Cloud let his gaze fix directly on Sora's equally blue one. "I raised Aerith from the age of ten when my planet fell to the Heartless. That's how I know her." He folded his arms across his chest and looked down at the floor, casually kicking at the stone blocks. "How do you think that you'll do against Hercules?" His blatant change of topic indicated that he would not speak any more about the previous subject.  
  
Sora slowly nodded his head, fully aware that he might have hit a slight nerve on the blonde. He dropped his legs down to tangle again as he considered the blonde's question. "I'm not sure. I've heard that he is pretty tough to beat...but I think I'll worry about beating him after I get by you." He grinned when the blonde stared at him in slight bewilderment. "You're not so easy yourself...I remember, I had bruises from my fight with you for weeks. Donald threw a fit with he found out that you were in this tournament. You'll go easy on him, right?"  
  
Cloud snorted and shook his head. "I don't go easy on anyone. If you can't handle the fighting, you don't have a place in it. If you don't want to get beat, I suggest you beat me first." He glanced over to where Sora's companions were standing discussing something and almost grinned in anticipation. He looked back at Sora out of the corner of his eye. "You'll do fine in the tournament."  
  
"Only if you are on your knees with your hands tied behind your back." Sora shot back.  
  
"I need to be blindfolded and drunk out of my mind too." Cloud chuckled softly when Sora burst into laughter, glancing towards the Coliseum entrance where Sora's name was called. He nodded at the brunette and patted Sora on the shoulder. "Good luck."  
  
Sora glanced back and waved warmly. "You'd better be blindfolded and drunk by the time I reach you!" He laughed at Cloud's grin and run up the hallway towards where his fighting would begin. He was certain that the blonde would watch him fight, probably study his movements too. He wondered if he would have an easier time against Cloud this time around. He certainly hoped so.  
  
Cloud settled himself back into a neutral demeanor and casually walked after the trio. He trailed towards were he could watch the battling, leaning back against the wall. He looked out passed the wooden door, his gaze drifting between Sora and the Heartless the brunette was fighting. It was obvious that Sora had improved considerably, a thought that made him nod his head in slight appreciation; the boy learned as fast as he did at that age. Though he knew that Sora had improved, he was still confident in his own skills to defeat the brunette in armed combat.  
  
~{Hey, here's where you've been hiding!}~ A more than cheerful voice chirped.  
  
Cloud felt his body rigid and turned his head quickly, trying to catch a glimpse of the friend he had not seen in many years. Yet, he was only greeted with the smiling face of his intended target, Hercules. He grumbled softly and shook his head, thinking that he was slowly but surely going crazy. He shifted his gaze back to the fighting arena, attempting to ignore the other warrior.  
  
"Hey, I guess we finally get to fight one another, eh?" Hercules grinned and held out his hand, noting that the blonde was trying to ignore him. He eventually let his hand fall back to his side, not sure what he had done to merit this cold treatment, especially considering he had never formally met the blond warrior before. Despite the blonde's coldness, he forced himself to stay nice. "So, what do you think of the kid? He's improving so much! I think he'll be a challenge soon enough, maybe not for me but you..."  
  
Cloud glanced over at Hercules and set his jaw. "I won't have any trouble with him." He pushed off the wall as his name was called to indicate that he would soon be fighting Sora again. He looked directly at Hercules as he pulled his sword from his back and gestured to the demi-god with the tip of his blade. "I'll see you in the final." He stated coldly as he turned on his heel and pushed passed the wooden doors.  
  
~{Geez Spike, that was cold.}~ The cheerful voice returned from behind the blonde.  
  
Cloud stopped dead in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder to find his gaze actually fix on the form of his friend. He scowled when the dark-haired man wiggled fingers in a gesture of fun greeting. "Zax..."  
  
~{The one and only.}~ Zax grinned and walked over to where Cloud was staring at him suspiciously. ~{Long time, no see.}~ He stopped and leaned in uncomfortably close to the blonde, his blue eyes twinkling with the same hint of mischievousness as they did the last time he had seen Cloud. ~{Wow, you're all grown up. Big and strong warrior...I shall forever call you...Smash Slamjaw!}~ He broke out into laughter at his own joke, quickly noting that Cloud did not share in his mirth and just continued to scowl at him. He forced himself to stop laughing and only smiled in apology. ~{What's wrong, Spike? We...I thought you'd be happy to see me.}~  
  
"I haven't seen you for over twenty-one years, Zax. As soon as I joined up with the Royal Guards, I never saw you again." Cloud turned away from the dark-haired man and started walking again, swinging his sword to warm up his muscles. He could sense that Zax was following in behind him but continued to ignore the dark-haired man. He glanced back when Zax said nothing to him and noted the 'kicked puppy' look that the dark-haired man was giving him. "Why are you here?"  
  
Zax casually shrugged his shoulders and wandered over to the blonde. He remained behind Cloud as he quickly pulled the blonde's sweater up, looking at the black veins that were visible along Cloud's naked back. He sighed as he found the blonde in a worse state than he had previously suspected and released his hold on the material as Cloud swiveled to glare at him and tuck the sweater in again. ~{I came because of that.}~ He gestured at the blonde's back. ~{You know me, always here to help.}~  
  
Cloud glanced over to where his name was being called again before looking back at the dark-haired man and slowly nodding. "I could have used your help a few years ago." He stated and knew from Zax's hurt expression that the feelings from his friend were genuine. He gestured towards the fighting arena. "I have to go, Zax. We can continue this conversation at a later time."  
  
~{Let the kid beat you.}~ Zax moved to stand in front of the blonde, their equally glowing gazes meeting. He put a hand on the blonde's shoulder, nearly recoiling at the crackle of darkness that tried to attack him. He knew that Cloud was unaware of the darkness or his connection to Hollow Bastion.  
  
"I won't lose to a kid when I know that I can win." Cloud stated flatly. "I have a contract to fulfill."  
  
Zax sighed heavily when the blonde pushed passed him and folded his arms across his chest. He already knew that Cloud could not beat Hercules with the tactics that the blonde wanted to use. ~{You can't beat Hercules, Cloud. You won't fill your contract so let the kid win. You'll see that I'm right.}~ He watched Cloud stop to regard him and grinned innocently. ~{You let that kid win, and I guarantee that you'll get your chance to fulfill your contract.}~  
  
Cloud felt frustration slowly rising. The dark-haired man had abandoned him all those years ago and now all of a sudden shows up instructing him on how to win and lose his battles. He shook his head to force the frustration away. "You came all the way here just to tell me that I should lose to a kid?"  
  
~{Well...not really. It's just a perk to me showing up.}~ Zax grinned and ran a hand through his hair, wandering closer to the blonde. ~{Trust me, Spike. Let the kid beat you then watch his fight with Hercules, and you will see what I mean. I promise to help you out.}~ He wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders and knocked his head against Cloud's playfully. ~{I'll even help you get back to Hollow Bastion if you want.}~  
  
Cloud looked sharply at the dark-haired man before smiling shyly. Zax always had a way of showing him which direction he should be facing when he was bogged down with too many worries and details. He nodded his head when the dark-haired man ruffled his hair, obviously looking for a response from him. "I'd like to go there soon."  
  
~{That's great!}~ Zax threw his arms in the air as if praising some obscure god. Obviously his mission was going to be a lot easier than he first thought. He swiveled on his heel and pointed at his chest. ~{Once you're done your contract, with el-manifico...heh, me...we will get right back there! I got this great place I want to show you!}~  
  
"I have to find Sephiroth before I go back." Cloud replied, watching as the dark-haired man stared at him as if he was crazy. "He's tracking me down, and I need to get rid of him again before I go back."  
  
~{Meh, that petty detail can be overlooked. He won't find you. I'll make sure of that.}~ Zax tried not to sound like he had already planned on how to deal with the obsessive General. He grinned at Cloud when the blonde quirked an eyebrow at him. He chuckled and scratched his head almost nervously. ~{Believe me, everything will be great if we go back to Hollow Bastion.}~  
  
Cloud had a sneaking suspicion that Zax was not telling him the whole truth and opened his mouth to question his friend when his name was now being shouted. He looked between the arena and Zax before nodding. "You'll be around...right? If I go, you'll show up again, right?"  
  
Zax bobbed his head in affirmation and gave Cloud a little wave. ~{You know me, I'll show up when I can. We have some stuff to discuss anyway.}~ He waved again when the blonde seemed to hesitate leaving, smiling as Cloud looked quite childish plagued with indecision. ~{I'll see you after the tournament is over, kay?}~ He drifted away when the blonde nodded resolutely and stalked towards the fighting arena, looking very much like a proud warrior. ~{Go lose, Fist Rockbone!}~  
  
He looked around when Cloud disappeared to the fighting arena and sighed heavily. He shook his head and sat in midair as Cloud's final opponent walked by, examining Hercules carefully. He waved casually, fully aware that the demi-god couldn't actually see him. He made a few humourous faces at the back of Hercules and the odd obscene gestures of Cloud pounding the demi-god with wisps of green life force. ~{Geez, I love my job. Now only if Cloud would stop being so stubborn and just go back to Hollow Bastion.}~  
  
He landed back on the ground when the god of the Underworld came into view, trying to decide whether or not he might actually been seen. When his presence was ignored, he walked over to where Hades appeared to be waiting for someone, eyes narrowing as the very General he had to protect Cloud from stepped from the shadows. He slipped in behind the silver-haired man and started to act out what it would be like to plunge his hand through Sephiroth's chest, making sure to do all the sound effects for his own benefit. He didn't bother to listen to their conversation, too intent of having a bit of fun at the silver-haired man's expense. He even managed to wear the Sephiroth's hair as a wig and nance behind the General when Sephiroth walked around a bit. ~{Best job...in the world! We think so!}~  
  
"Did you just hear something?" Hades asked, looking around as if he had heard a foreign voice nearby.  
  
Zax yelped and jumped the behind Sephiroth, silently kicking himself for not using his head. Of course the god of the Underworld would hear him if he tried talking. He shifted with the silver-haired man when Sephiroth moved to look around, making sure to hide so that he was not caught by Hades. Having a god see him was not part of the plan, especially if Cloud found out that he had been fooling around with General Sephiroth.  
  
When the conversation picked up again, he slipped off towards the fighting arena, determined to put a bit of distance between himself and Hades. Besides, he needed to make sure that Cloud did as he ordered and lose, or Zax thought that he might have to play a dirty trick on the blonde just to have his own way. He needed Cloud to lose, if only to keep Sephiroth from having an opportunity to slip into the blonde's dreams again. He would need to set up a guard to prevent the General from having contact with Cloud, or all hope would be lost in getting the blonde back to Hollow Bastion quickly.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth growled as Hades ignored him and instead looked around for whatever had caught the god's attention. He set himself back on his heels before seizing Hades by the robes, forcing the god to regard him once more. "I've waited long enough. You have kept Cloud from my grasp for too long. He is mine so I want to have some time alone with him. Either you give me a way to do what I want, or I will find a way on my own."  
  
Hades nodded his head in an attempt to stop the rant he knew that he would soon have to endure if he did not agree somewhat. He eventually shrugged his shoulders and grinned at the silver-haired man. "Yeah, I hear you, Wonderboy. You've done a great job for me so hear is what I'm going to do for you...'cause I'm such a loving god." He wrapped an arm around Sephiroth's shoulders and urged the man to walk with him as he moved to watch how the blonde fought. "If Blondie..."  
  
"Cloud." Sephiroth retorted with exasperation. Would Hades never get it right?  
  
"Right, if Clit manages to take out Hercules in this tournament, I'll make sure to get you into seeing him." Hades stopped when Sephiroth stopped and stepped out of his hold on the silver-haired man's shoulders. He cocked his head to the side when Sephiroth began shaking his head. "What, you got a neck-crick or something? Nervous twitch?"  
  
Sephiroth scowled at Hades and took a step close to the god, their gazes meeting equally. "That's not good enough. I want a chance to see him no matter how he does in this stupid tournament because there is always a chance that he'll easy on the brat." He leaned back and unsheathed his sword, ready to use the blade to get what he wanted. "Give me Cloud. He's mine, and I have played your ridiculous game long enough. You either give me access to him, or I will take him."  
  
"Ah ah ah." Hades wiggled his finger in the air as if scolding a naughty child. "That would be a preached of your contract."  
  
"You make it sound like I care." Sephiroth shot back, slamming his sword tip into the ground so that the blade was now his height again. "I have been your puppet for long enough, and you have done nothing but keep me from my one goal. You are more powerful than you need to be thanks to me, and now I want a bit of a bonus for all my hard work." He crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared at Hades. "Give me Cloud and I might think of calling our arrangement even."  
  
Hades quirked a rather unimpressed eyebrow at the silver-haired man. "Playing rough, are we?" He walked a few steps away from Sephiroth, contemplating his next action to keep himself in the best position of power. "Alright, here's what I will do for you. I'll give you one night, just ONE, with your precious where the kid won't wake up for exactly twelve hours." He rubbed his chin, considering what else he could throw in the please the silver-haired man, especially considering the stubborn expression that Sephiroth wore. "Not only do I give you twelve hours, I'll give you a door to whatever dream he is having." He grinned casually. "That way, you can have both his physical form and his mental one. Sound fair?"  
  
Sephiroth sighed heavily and brushed a few stray locks of hair back over his shoulder, considering the deal. This sounded like it was all he could probably get from Hades. He set his jaw firmly before pulling Masamune from the ground and sheathed the blade back at his waist. "No disturbances?"  
  
Hades rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, nothing will come into the room."  
  
"I want more time." Sephiroth stated, running his fingers of the hilt of his blade. If he could push for more, he would hopefully get more. "Give me...say a week with him."  
  
Hades blinked and shook his head, swinging his arms out instantly in a negative fashion. "A week! Are you crazy...oh, wait don't answer that." He shook his head when Sephiroth glared at him. "That's way too long. I may need him to fight for me in that time. I can't risk having one of my only reliable pawns out of the game for that long...plus, a week means you won't be doing anything either!" He crossed his arms again stubbornly. "The best I'll do is a day."  
  
"Two." Sephiroth shot back.  
  
"One and a half!" Hades leaned forward, challenging the silver-haired man to say something more.  
  
"Two." Sephiroth insisted, smirking when Hades' hair began to turn red and the god's eyes bugged out more than usual. "Two and I'll throw in two more worlds destroyed."  
  
Hades felt himself returning to normal. "Three worlds and you have yourself a deal."  
  
"Done." Sephiroth replied easily, holding out his hand to affirm the deal between them. He smirked when Hades shook his hand and sighed. He had gotten what he had wanted and much more all things considering. He took a step back from Hades and nodded at the god. "I'll have two worlds down by the time this tournament is over. I will destroy the third after you have fulfilled your part of the bargain." Before Hades could protest, he teleported away to do his business, preparing himself for another wonderful encounter with his property.  
  
Hades looked at the spot where Sephiroth had once been and cocked his head to the side. "Geez, Spiky is gonna messed in the head by the time I get finished with all these deals. Still, keeping Wonderboy under my control is well worth the effort."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud stopped when he was several meters away from his opponents, shifting his grip on his sword before sheathing it on his back and adjusting his gloves more comfortably. His gaze never strayed from his weary opponents, suddenly very unsure if he wanted to lose to the trio. He knew that they were better since the last fight, but he was certain that he could probably defeat them by unhashing some of his old favourite skills.  
  
The fact that Zax had insisted that he lose also weight heavily on his mind. The dark-haired man had wandered into his life at a young age when he had been reduced to living the upper portion of his house with only a sword for company and the yelling of adults below him. Zax had merrily appeared when he was alone and it seemed like they had grown up together, though he suspected that the dark-haired man was not something of his plane of living. However, Zax had always requested things that he had always done for one reason or another, but he was a trained warrior now. Zax had stopped visiting once he had become a Royal Guard, and he had often stared out at the sea wishing that his dark-haired friend would appear and speak with him. Yet, Zax never appeared and never advised him, and he had lost hope that he would ever see his friend again. How had Zax known to suddenly show up over twenty years after their last encounter when he found himself in trouble?  
  
Cloud was vaguely aware of the whistle blowing to start the fight, but he only stood as Sora flew at him, grunting as the key-blade slammed into his chest several times, allowing his body to rock back with each hit. He kept his gaze on the ground, and eventually fell to one knee as he was attacked from all sides, wincing as cold magic bit at his skin and Goofy's metal shield smashed his shoulder roughly. 'How long will I always do what you ask of me, Zax?'  
  
Sora jumped back and dropped down into a crouch, unsure of the sudden change in Cloud. He was weary, yet all the same, quite worried. It was as if the blonde had already given up the fight before it had even started. He desired a fair fight and beating on an opponent that wouldn't even bother to defend was not part of what he had in mind from Cloud. He charged the blonde, hoping that Cloud would at least unsheathe the enormous blade on the blonde's back and defend. He drove the key-blade forward, listening as Cloud grunted, turning himself to power up the attack as he slammed the key-blade into he blonde's ribs, gasping as he heard a gruesome crack as Cloud went flying away from him. He stood up as the blonde smashed into the ground hard and rolled a few feet, nearly rushing over to help Cloud when the blonde struggled to stand again. He held back and glanced at Donald who was moving closer to him wearily. "Donald, he's not fighting back...?"  
  
"I know...something seems off with 'im." Donald looked at Sora and slowly shrugged his shoulders. "We should force him to surrender before we hurt him more. It's not even a challenge anymore. Kind of sad, really..."  
  
"Yeah...I wonder what happened between now and the locker room." Sora slowly approached where Cloud stood swaying slightly. He was not sure if this was a sort of hoax or elaborate plan to make him drop his guard, but he was not sure how he should treat his opponent. He had expected Cloud to fight, but all he was doing was beating on the blonde who appeared to be refusing to fight back. "Cloud, lay your sword on the...What the...?" He took a step back when the blonde suddenly sunk to the ground.  
  
Cloud grabbed at his hair as a sinister voice suddenly entered his mind and tried to shake it from slithering through his thoughts. The voice's coldness was chuckling softly, moving as if he had absolutely no defenses to this attack at all, and he instantly recognized it as the shadow boy that he had encountered several weeks before. 'What do you want? Get out of my head!'  
  
'How come you're going to let a scrawny whelp like that beat us? We are better than this, and we must fight.' The voice whispered softly, wrapping darkened arms around the blonde's mind and nuzzling softly, drawing Cloud back into cool shadow. 'Why not spill a little blood? Feel the darkness in your heart...embrace it.'  
  
'Shut it!' Cloud ordered the boy and tried to shake off the coldness around him. 'Leave me to fight as I want to fight.'  
  
The shadow boy chuckled in mockery. 'Poor little us...all alone in our misery. Abandoned by everyone...hunted by the darkness. We would be a wonderful thing if we gave in to the darkness.'  
  
The shadow boy stepped into the blonde's mindscape and grinned wolfishly, its blackened form shifting to that of an age identical to Cloud, two sets of great demonic wings arching from its back, its eyes harden shards of blue, slightly crazed. Both of its arms were demonic up to the elbow and crackled with black energy every time it flexed its hands. The demonic blonde's clothing was pure black, loose for battling and still wrapped in many belts, though the shoulder armour had been discarded and the hip guard was considerably more sinister looking. It grinned with that same cruel expression that made an opponent's blood run cold. 'Darkness rising, our dearest love. We could be one, if you would see the true power that lies in your heart.' It stretched out a demonic hand towards the other blonde. 'Embrace me and we shall rule this pitiful arena and crush any who dare stand in our way. We shall bath in the blood of our enemies and become drunk on the suffering that we shall create.'  
  
Cloud recoiled and turned his back, swallowing the lump in his throat. He forced himself to breath and shove away the coldness that stroked his bare skin almost gently, shutting his eyes as demonic wings wrapped around his body and strong arms slipped around his waist. He could feel a cool, inviting breath against the back of his neck and tried almost desperately to pull away from the touch. He grimaced as the hold around his waist tightened, his body slowly feeling like it was drifting into a solid slumber, leaving only his mind to defend itself. Yet, the longer he remained in the embrace of the other, the more sheltered and accepted he felt, almost...loved.  
  
~{Cloud! Get up!}~ Zax stormed forward into the blonde's mind, wrenching away the demonic form and standing between it and his friend. He snarled when the demonic Cloud laughed cruelly, wincing as dark energy sliced into him. ~{Leave here! You have no place with him!}~ He looked back to see Cloud moving towards the surface again, just where he wanted the blonde. He turned back to regard the demon and grinned. ~{The planet protects him so butt out.}~ Zax smirked when the demon began to scowl and made shooing motions. ~{The exit is that way so go throw yourself out of it.}~  
  
'Hmpt, you can't protect what he is destined to become. We will wait and let him embrace us willingly then we will rip you limb from limb, guardian.' The demon snarled and turned away from the dark-haired man, glancing over to where Cloud had disappeared to before smirking again. 'He's reacting...How beautiful we are...'  
  
Zax looked off to where the demon was staring, squinting to catch a glimpse of Cloud's inner thoughts. He quickly found that the blonde was too dazed to make any resistance against the darkness that surrounded Cloud's hearts and slowly began to squeeze. Sighing heavily, he shook his head. ~{Dammit, we can't leave you alone for five minutes without some crazed element trying to hump your head.}~  
  
After a few minutes of debate, Sora reached a tentative hand out to touch the blonde's shaking shoulder. He ignored Donald's warnings that they should leave the blonde, and recoiled slightly as his fingers brushed against cold skin. He had only felt such cold when he touched a Heartless, making him take a tentative step back. He could feel heat begin to rise from Cloud when the blonde's shoulders stilled their trembling, suddenly very aware of a building power that was much too warm to be normal. He let out a surprised cry as he leapt back, holding up the keyblade to deflect the wave of crackling red energy that knocked both Donald and Goofy off of their feet. He only managed to stay on his feet because of the fact that he had leaned into the wave and forced it to wash around him.  
  
Sora coughed as dust began to settle out, straining his eyes to catch a glimpse of the blonde. When the same energy began to crackle a few feet away and bit at his skin, he resisted moving closer. "Cloud, are you alright?" He put a protective hand across his face when another wave of energy blasted through the arena, this time forcing all the dust to settle. He blinked as he found the blonde drifting in midair, clutching at the enormous blade as red energy crackled over Cloud's body. "Cloud! What...?"  
  
"Farewell..." Cloud closed his eyes and left his body up to instinct as he shot forward, vaguely aware of a desperate voice calling in the back of his mind. He ignored it and felt only with his body, enjoying each contraction of muscle, each shift of bone, and every crackle of energy that jumped up his cool skin. He felt every rise and fall of his blade, analyzing his form and technique before allowing the hot energy to aid him in defeating his opponents one-by-one. He could vaguely hear the cries of pain around him, and for whatever reason, it sounded strangely like beautiful music; he had never really listened to the cries of his opponents, but he admitted that he was entranced with the beauty of it now. The music only made him wish to make more of it, slashing with more force and speed than he had probably mentally intended, but it was alright because he was living by instincts now.  
  
He became aware of cool arms sliding down his own and grasping his wrists as an equally cool body pressed up against his back. He shivered slightly as a face nuzzled the back of his neck and whispered words that he heard but did not process, only concentrating on the feeling of moving. Yet, in his movements, the person behind him moved along with him, as if they were dancing. He felt the embrace of wings wrapping around his body, pulling him close as he just stopped feeling the movements anymore, despite knowing that they were still in action.  
  
'Turn and look at me, lovely.' A soft yet sinister voice whispered across the normal blonde's ear, pulling a hand back to stroke Cloud's soft neck, smirking when the blonde slowly turned to regard it. It could feel its power growing, and it knew that it was taking over. Even it had to admit that the pleasure of touching the other blonde was almost worth all the struggles it had been forced to endure just to get this far with Cloud. Soon, the blonde would be one with the darkness, and it would rule. It ran a demonic finger down the other warrior's cheek, pulling their faces close together. 'Our loneliness shall not be in vain, precious.' It watched the light fade from the blonde's eyes and chuckled coolly as it was faced with endless empty orbs of cobalt blue. Cloud was finally giving in after its fifteen years of attempting to grab a good hold, and finally its efforts had paid off. 'Lovely, let us return home and step through the door...Kingdom Hearts awaits us.'  
  
Cloud felt cold lips close over his own and demonic wings fold around him as he was brought into a tight embrace. He felt something within him crack, yet he was too consumed with the passion of the kiss to really know what was crumbling down around him. Vaguely, he felt his own arms lift from his sides and move to embrace the other, pulled in more tightly as a desperate voice echoed in the distance. He too ignored the voice and slid his hands up the other's strong chest, slowly becoming aware of his fingers slipping past the confines of clothing and sinking into his demonic self's flesh. It was then he realized that the arms wrapped around his shoulders were sinking into his flesh and the wings surrounding him were fusing together into a cocoon of black. And everything began to feel wrong.  
  
He pulled away from the kiss and tried to use his hands to shove the other away from him, grimacing as the arms around his shoulders only tightened. He shook his head and concentrated on trying to disentangle himself, turning to face the side as the same cool lips attempted to kiss him again, shuddering when his demonic self took his kissing his cheek, leaving numb flesh behind. Again, he tried to pull away from the strong embrace, bringing his attention to the other's smirking face when he found his bottom being groped. "No. Let me go." He ordered.  
  
'Heh, no means yes and yes means more, lovely.' The demonic blonde replied coolly, bending to kiss Cloud again. It was not entirely sure how the other blonde had managed to wake up again, but it was confident that Cloud's resistance would falter now that they were so close. It pulled the other blonde harder against its body, letting the one arm wrapped around Cloud's shoulders to force their faces closer together. 'If you resist, we will only like this more...'  
  
Cloud growled and shoved harder against the hold on him. "Well, I would hate to bore you by not struggling then..." He shifted his head away when the demonic blonde tried to kiss his lips again, closing his eyes tightly as cold lips instead met with the skin of his neck. He let out a small cry when his demonic self attempted to trip him, catching himself before his back met with the ground by one hand. He grunted as he was forced to support both his weight and the demon's weight with only one hand and foot, gritting his teeth as a clawed hand stroked his straining wrist. "No...I'm stronger than this..." He forced himself to shove the other hard, setting his stubbornness up as a wall.  
  
The demon quirked an eyebrow as it was suddenly resisted, feeling its hold on the blonde slipping away. He growled in anger and made another grab for Cloud, snarling in predatory rage when it was suddenly kicked back and flipped from its position on top of the other blonde. It landed a few feet away and stalked back towards Cloud as the other blonde jumped back into standing position. It grabbed the blonde's shoulder roughly and rammed its other fist into Cloud's midsection, releasing some crackling black energy. It grinned cruelly when the other blonde let out a scream of pain and writhed in its grasp, closing its eyes in ecstasy as if Cloud's pain was its greatest pleasure.  
  
It looked up when the voice of the blonde's guardian became clear, lifting a hand to set up a barrier against the planet's aid. It chuckled in mockery when the dark-haired guardian screamed and started to pound against its barrier of darkness. 'You get to watch as we take him, guardian.' It looked down to the slumped blonde resting against its shoulder, before looking back to where the dark-haired man was almost desperate to break the wall between them and smirked in triumph. It ran a gentle demonic hand through the shivering warrior's soft blonde locks before pulling the blonde close again. It placed a small kiss on Cloud's lips before wrapping its wings around the blonde once more. 'Remember to breathe when we slip below the surface, lovely. We are your nightmare...'  
  
Cloud had never suspected that he would show this much weakness when facing certain doom, and he was forced to silence when he tried to consider what he had done it all the come down to this. He had resisted the darkness for fifteen years of his life, but none of that seemed to matter now that he was caught in the cold embrace of it. He knew that he had not fully given up, rather, he had been slowly losing for fifteen years, slowly consumed until he finally allowed himself to lose sight of what he had sworn to protect and unwittedly allowed the darkness in. And as he felt his body grow cold as a demonic hand slipped beneath his sweater, he began to realize that he would never find Sephiroth, never save Hollow Bastion, never help Sora, and never be able to give Aerith back her keepsake like he promised.  
  
~{Cloud no! You can't give up! I just got here to help you! Fight him!}~ Zax shouted, pounding his fists on the invisible barrier that separated him from getting to Cloud. He was desperate, nearly clawing at the barrier as his connection with the planet screamed and writhed as it began to be torn apart by the darkness that Cloud was being consumed by. He felt his own energy draining away quickly. ~{You're the planets keeper, Cloud! Everything will die if you give in! Please...I told you that you were special, a gift from the planet! I didn't lie! Cloud!!}~  
  
Cloud was vaguely aware of Zax's words passing over him and as he clung to his demonic self for support, he became aware that he was clasping an object in his right hand. He groaned as he lifted his arm to investigate the object, shivering as cold hands run up his back and began to stroke his shoulders almost tenderly. He had trouble balancing, forcing himself to lean more into the other's embrace, his gaze taking time to adjust to staring at the object in his hand. He felt a weak but tender smile pull at his lips as his blurring gaze landed on the stone that Aerith had given him.  
  
The glowing stone felt warm in his cold hand, heat snaking up his arm and into his shoulder, slowly settling in his chest and spreading outwards. He clenched the stone tightly when the arms around his shoulders tightened to almost painful, the demon snarling in his ear as it turned to look at what had caught his attention. He began to find it easier to breathe as warmth returned to his body, and he suddenly took a step away from the demon holding him as if their arms weren't even around each other. He took another step away, noting the pained yet very angry expression on the demon blonde's face. He met the cold gaze and smiled slightly. "I have to go back. I promised Aerith that I would give her back her stone."  
  
'No, we can give back at a more appropriate time, lovely.' The demon took a step towards the other blonde, beckoning that Cloud return to its hold.  
  
Cloud clenched the stone in his hand and brought the object to his chest, looking back over his shoulder to where Zax leaned slumped against the barrier between them. He took a step towards his friend, stopping when a cold hand snatched his free wrist and tugged him back roughly. He felt wisps of green slipping between his fingers and lightly stroke his skin before shifting away from his demonic form. He smiled at the warm green wisps that arched towards where Zax leaned, his smile faltering slight as a wisps began to shift from his friend, Zax's form shimmering with green energy. "Zax...you are...!"  
  
The demon wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist and pulled Cloud away from planet's guardian, smirking as it found the dark-haired man's life force draining away. It bent and kissed the blonde's shoulder, wincing as wisps of green snapped at him. It tried to ignore the wisps, intent of drawing Cloud back into the safety of the darkness. 'Come, lovely. We shall do great things together.'  
  
~{...Cloud...I'm sorry I wasn't there all those years ago...It was my fault...}~ Zax whispered softly, his last words before he knew the end would take him. He was much too close to Cloud's darkness to be able to escape.  
  
Cloud looked at the glowing stone in his hands, noting that it began to pulsate as he was pulled away. He nodded his head slowly as the wisps of green energy warmed his flesh and drifted innocently through the air before disappearing into the shadow. "Zax!"  
  
Zax looked up slowly at the call of his name, eyes widening as Cloud tossed the solid glowing green stone towards him. He lifted a hand and pressed it against the invisible barrier as the stone arched into the air, smiling weakly as he could feel its warmth forcing his body to remain in place around him. However, he was forced to close his eyes as the stone suddenly released a bright flash of light, noting the agonized scream of the demonic Cloud as the wave washed over everything.  
  
He looked up again when the light restored his strength to full, gaze fixing on Cloud's back where he caught sight of shimmering wispy green wings arching from the blonde's back. He laughed in joy as Cloud's blue clothing shifted briefly to a flowing white robe set around the blonde's waist, and he suddenly knew. ~{There's still hope! He can do it! We can be saved if he can still transcend!}~ No sooner had he leapt for joy then the light faded and the wisps disappeared, leaving him staring at Cloud's back again, noting that the blonde's small demonic wing still clung like a shadow. He jumped to his feet as the bearer shattered around him. ~{As long as there is hope that he can still make it, I can work with him. He just has to hold off the darkness long enough to make it back to Hollow Bastion.}~  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud slowly cracked an eye open, shifting from where he was lying. Slowly, he turned his head, trying to discern where he was. He came to the quick conclusion that he was lying in a bed in what looked to be the infirmary of the Coliseum. He sat up and grabbed his head as a pounding headache rocked his mind. He waited for the dizziness to release him and eventually looked around at his surroundings.  
  
The room was not considerably large and contained only two other beds, both of which were occupied by Sora's two allies. Like most rooms in the Coliseum, it was carved from stone and held air that smelled almost too stale to be considered a sterile place. It was empty aside from himself and the two unconscious people.  
  
Cloud rose to his feet and stretched out his muscles, not sure of what had happened during the fight with Sora, though it appeared that he had done a serious number on both Donald and Goofy. He casually strode from the room, looking around for his sword. He wandered the hallways until he walked out into the arena, immediately noting that all battling was over and only clean up with in order. He walked out into the middle of the arena and kicked at the broken pieces of wood that were scattered all around the dirt, not sure of the source of the shards. He slowly bent and picked up a large chuck of wood before sighing, lightly smacking his forearm with the piece of wood in his hands as he walked over to where he could sit down.  
  
~{Up and about already? I'm impressed, Spike.}~ Came a warm voice from beside the blonde.  
  
Cloud looked over to find Zax standing next to him and nodded his head, looking out onto the arena. He continued to idly smack the wood against his hand. "I take it that I lost the fight even though I wasn't aware of it."  
  
Zax chuckled and flopped down on the stone next to the blonde, patting Cloud on the shoulder in mock sympathy. ~{Don't worry about it, Spike. You flew around the arena like a mad man slashing at anything that got within range until only Sora was left. Then something happened and you dropped from the sky and fell unconscious.}~ He grinned when Cloud glanced at him and ruffled the blonde's hair. ~{The judges ruled that you technically lost so they said that Sora could either move on without his allies or drop out. Of course, the kid went on and knocked Hercules' block off.}~ He gestured to the barrel piece in Cloud's hand. ~{They gave the kid barrels to hide behind, but Sora used them as bludgeoning objects and forced Hercules out of an undamageable state.}~  
  
"How did that work?" Cloud questioned softly, turning the wood over in his hands. It seemed like perfectly normal molded wood to him.  
  
~{That's is very special wood from the Dios tree. It is kind of rare, but it has the ability to regenerate its form in only a short period of time. They use it here because they have a lot of barrels breaking. It is a tree that is found between earth and heaven on a floating island built and maintained by the gods.}~ Zax casually plunked the piece of wood from the blonde's hands and examined it carefully before handing it back to Cloud. ~{They say that every man has his weakness, so I suggest you find a tree like that if you want to fill your contract.}~  
  
Cloud slowly nodded his head and tossed the piece of wood back to the ground, leaning back on his elbows before glancing over at Zax out of the corner of his eye. When the dark-haired man looked at him, he turned his gaze back to the arena and sighed. "You aren't alive, are you?"  
  
Zax quirked an eyebrow at the sudden question before casually shrugging his shoulders. ~{What makes you think that, Spike?}~  
  
"I felt it in my mind when the darkness was absorbing me and you looked like you were dying. The same green wisps that I see in my dreams sometimes and that came out of Aerith's stone ...I saw them coming out of you. You're entire body shimmered green." Cloud sat forward again as Zax remained completely silent and refused to look at him. "Tell me the truth, Zax. What are you? Why did that demon call you my 'guardian'?"  
  
~{Don't, Spike.}~ Zax held up a hand to stop the blonde from asking more questions and looked around the fighting arena. ~{There are things that I can't tell you here, meaning the truth so I won't say anything. All you need to know right now is that I'm your friend and I'm here to help you.}~ He stood up suddenly and turned to face the blonde. ~{I will tell you more when we are in a secure place, but right now, I think you need to find that tree. I promise that everything will work out.}~  
  
Cloud slowly nodded and also climbed to his feet, brushing dirt from his cloak before silently walking off to find his sword and start to research where the Dios tree could be found. He was aware of Zax following him and smiled slightly. "You coming to the Underworld with me?"  
  
Zax smirked and shoved Cloud forward playfully. ~{You make it sound like I'm a dead-beat like you, Spike.}~ He grinned when the blonde turned and seized his shoulders in an equally playful manner. He looked suddenly very serious. ~{Someone around here has to make sure that you eat all your vegetables before you have your desert, young man.}~  
  
Cloud rolled his eyes and sighed. "Don't start with that." He started to walk again, ignoring Zax's odd prods to his shoulder before finally swatting back at the dark-haired man. "Man, I'm tired. I feel like I could sleep for a week."  
  
~{I'll give you two days. Sound fair?}~ Zax got the distinct feeling that he may actually be wishing that he never spoke those words right after he said them.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well, I've come to the conclusion that Cloud is a man-whore. Everybody wants to get with Cloud, even Cloud himself. Geez, what a little slut.  
  
Anyway, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but I had lots of stuff to do in RL since school is winding down and I'll soon be in nasty old exams. I'm not sure how long the next chapter will take, but I'm hoping that it will be out on time.  
  
Hope everyone enjoyed the yaoi overtones. I figured you all desired a bit of a treat after my indecision over the whole thing. I'm thinking that I will have the answer to everyone's yaoi question by next chapter. And besides, if Sephy can't have Cloud, I will let demon Cloud cop another feel. :P 


	10. Shadow Rearing Up

Darkness Rising  
  
By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Heehee, I just wanted to say that when ' happens, it is to indicate a dream-like voice that Cloud can only hear unless otherwise specified. Of course, we all know that Cloud is crazy and hears voices in his head. ~{ indicates one very special person's speech. Of course, only Cloud can hear the voice (Geez, I give him way too many voices in his head)  
  
AUTHOR'S WARNING: This fic has been bumped up to a yaoi pairing between Sephiroth and Cloud. You have been warned so proceed at your own risk. So far, it is merely some shounen-ai, but it might turn a bit more in later chapters.  
  
Chapter 9 - Shadow Rearing Up  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud did not have to look up from the book that he was leafing through to know that Hades was suddenly beside him. The fact that the god was glowing red and breathing heavily automatically meant that he was in trouble for his failure at the Hercules Cup. Still, he continued to flip through the dry pages, occasionally brushing out a small fire that happen to ignite the paper. Eventually, he casually closed the book and looked at the flaming god of the Underworld. "Can I help you?"  
  
Hades had to resist the urge to strangle the life out of the blonde, feeling his hands twitch at his sides. Slowly, he forced calm enough to form normal sentences in order to fully explain his displeasure with Cloud's performance at the tournament that the blonde had assured him a victory. He had nearly throttled the blonde's unconscious form when Cloud had dropped suddenly from the sky, but he had forced himself to stalk away back to the Underworld to await the blonde's arrival so that he could blast Cloud on his own ground.  
  
He growled when the blonde threatened to go back to reading and entwined his fingers together to prevent him from smacking Cloud. He forced himself into a calm frame. "I happened to watch your fight against the spiky kid." He waited for the blonde to respond, and, when he only received a neutral look, he felt his temperature rising. "I seem to remember you saying that you could beat the kid...so, you know, I was just kind of wondering something." He knew that his hair had shifted to red. "How did you manage to fail as miserably as you did?" He yelled loudly, causing the blonde to jump slightly. It was the first time that he had raised his voice at the blonde warrior.  
  
Cloud leaned back against Hades' heat and shrugged his shoulders, not certain that the god would believe him even if he did speak the truth. He doubted that saying 'a demonic form of himself tried to merge with him, and he bearly managed to escape the darkness but fell unconscious in the process' would go over very well. "It just happened. The kid was stronger than I thought."  
  
Hades slowly nodded his head. "Stronger...than you thought?" When Cloud nodded at him, he grabbed the blonde by the hair and pulled their faces close together. "You were doing just fine flying around smashing them into the ground until...what, you got tired all of a sudden?" He released his hold and began to pace in irritation. "You dropped faster than Zeus on a pretty virgin. I mean...you just lay there! Then, the judges ruled that you can no longer fight because you wouldn't gain consciousness again...leaving the kid to fight Jerk-ules! Not you, the kid!"  
  
Cloud ran a hand through his hair, smoothing the locks back into place. "Would it help if I said it won't happen again?"  
  
"No!" Hades yelled, fully ready to swat the blonde across the room. "I want that block-head dead, and I employed you to do it! And what were you doing...sleeping! I gave you the perfect opportunity to crush Hercules like you said that you could, and you completely blew it!" He continued to pace, angered with the blonde's obvious neutrality to the current situation. He wasn't sure if the fact that the blonde had failed was bothering him more than Cloud's casual response to the failure. "I should rescind your contract and put you into eternal debt to me."  
  
"I can beat Hercules." Cloud said quietly, slowly climbing to his feet. He brushed his cloak over his shoulders and crossed his arms. "However, I want to beat him outside of any tournament. If you change my contract to say that I can defeat him outside of the Coliseum, I give you my word that I will fill my contract by the end of the week." He watched Hades stop to watch him closely and lifted his chin from his cloak to show that he was speaking truthfully. "You can even watch to make sure that I do it."  
  
Hades smirked and walked up so that he was staring down at the blonde. "You sound confident, just the way I like you. Why should I change your contract?"  
  
"I have to find an island with a special kind of wood." Cloud watched Hades' smirked turn more playful and inwardly sighed. At least the god was no longer too angry with him. "Once I find the Dios tree, Hercules will fall quickly."  
  
"The Dios tree?" Hades sat back on his heels and considered this new information, occasionally glancing down at the blonde. He was familiar with the rare plant, one of Demeter's favourites. Only the gods knew its whereabouts, and it was known to be one of the most wonderful plants that the goddess had ever created. "So, have you found where it is?" He asked almost casually.  
  
Cloud shook his head. "Not yet. All I know is that it is on an island that is between the earth and sky."  
  
Hades quirked an eyebrow. "And how would someone of your...intelligence...come across information pertaining to such a rare plant?" He watched the blonde glower at him and smirked, leaning close. "Come on now...you couldn't have found this out on your own. No one knows anything about the Dios tree that you have come in contact with...meaning you are getting your schooling from elsewhere."  
  
Cloud could shrug his shoulders, very much aware that he could not exactly say that his friend who only he could see and talk to gave him the information. "I stumbled across it when I was looking at the broken barrels in the fighting arena."  
  
"Stumbled would be a good word to use." Hades folded his hands behind his back and grinned arrogantly, his temper having slipped away into interest as to the resourcefulness of the blonde. Obviously, he had slightly underestimated Cloud's abilities to use a brain. "Well, since you seem convinced that you can beat Hercules with a stick, I think it would be in my best interest to tell you where you can find your little island."  
  
Cloud smiled. "You know where it is?"  
  
"Hello, all powerful god. Of course I know." Hades beamed and patted the blonde on the shoulder. "You are looking for the island called Atlantis."  
  
"Isn't that a city?"  
  
Hades shrugged. "Depends what you like in your cities. There are satyrs, fairies, and centaurs running around for a populace, but not much of interest for warriors. Humans keep trying to find it, but mortals only get to actually look at it when Zeus turns it into his own personal love-shack." He couldn't stop the violent shudder that ran down his body at that thought and had to wipe his hands on his robes as if they were suddenly very dirty. "Anyway...I can help you with the location if you really want...but you have to ask really nicely."  
  
Cloud couldn't help but roll his eyes, shaking his head slightly at Hades' expectant grin. "Could you please tell me where I can find this Atlantis island?"  
  
"Very good. On your knees, kissing my feet, and whining for the location would be much better for my god-complex." Hades wiggled his eyebrows and gestured at the ground at his feet.  
  
Cloud glared at the god and crossed his arms stubbornly, turning his face to the side. "I don't beg for anyone." He stated flatly, his tone indicating that he would not hear of anything more on the matter of begging. "Either you tell me the location or I take the extra time to find and ask Zeus where it is, perhaps letting it slip your plans to kill Hercules."  
  
Hades tried not to look as mortified as he actually was before finally just settling for pointing directly at the blonde. "Hey, you're not allowed to manipulate the situation in your favour! It is not in your contract!" He glared at Cloud when the blonde only hid a satisfied smirk in the red cloak and beckoned a scroll to hand in a flash of black smoke. He handed the rolled up paper to the blonde and watched closely as Cloud examined it, smirking as his blonde warrior seemed to nod in approval. He liked having smart dancing monkeys, especially ones that he had under his control. "Inform me when and where you will be challenging Jerk-ules. I want to be there to give you two thumbs up or smite you for failure."  
  
"Very well, but you have to hold up on your part of the bargain if I do this. All the information that you have on Sephiroth, I want it." Cloud only vaguely heard the sound of a hand slapping forehead and knew instinctively that Zax was lurking around. He shook his head and ignored the dark-haired man, intent on watching Hades consider his request.  
  
Hades couldn't help the grin that spread across his lips and nodded at the blonde. "Of course. Would I ever lie about the information that I hold?" He sighed at Cloud's skeptical look and threw his hands in the air. "Oh come on, Blondie! Like how much information are you expecting about Suckitoff!"  
  
Cloud opened his mouth to correct Hades on the General's name, but he found that his jaw just stopped working as he processed the name that Sephiroth had been called. The silence in the room indicated that Zax was also stunned, seeing as the dark-haired man was usually to laugh at such jokes. He could only stare up at Hades, slightly mortified. He dared to think what Hades called him behind his back when all things about the god were considered.  
  
Hades noted the blonde's inability to speak and patted Cloud on the shoulder. "I know it's hard for you, but please, try to think in a linear fashion...weaving off in another direction isn't healthy for someone of your mortal state." He grinned when Cloud's jaw snapped shut noisily, and he received another stony glare. "Now, you have your location so I'm sure you can find a tree to hack up. I want results this time, Spikey. Got it?"  
  
"Indeed." Cloud tucked the scroll into his cloak and stood. "I want information on the General when I get back."  
  
Hades grinned. "Oh don't worry, your General is closer to getting you than your little shadow friend was sticking its tongue down your throat." He noted that the blonde stopped moving at his comparison and leaned in so that their faces were close enough where they could look at each other eye-to-eye. "He looked an awful lot like you, almost like a dark evil twin. You wouldn't happen to know what that was would you?"  
  
Cloud looked down to his feet and slowly shook his head. "No, I don't."  
  
"Well, that's cute. I didn't think that you did, you know, because you are a fighter with only enough brainpower to support one cause at a time." Hades waved a dismissive hand in the air, intent on researching the mystery himself when he found the time in the eternity that he had saved up. It was obvious that the demonic manifestation had something to do with the darkness, and Hades wanted to know what it would take to get that form to take over. He knew that Cloud would be much more useful to him if the blonde was tipped to the evil side of the scale. "Well, I have places to go and people to annoy. I'll let you get on your little tree hunt."  
  
Cloud slowly nodded and watched Hades drift off, glancing down at the book under his elbow before sighing heavily and running a hand threw his hair. He had hoped that he had been the only one to have seen the manifestation, but he admitted that it was obvious that the god of the Dead would see it as well.  
  
He jumped slightly when a hand landed on his shoulder, swiveling to find Zax grinning at him, shifting to the side when the dark-haired man jumped onto the dusty table. "So, Hades knows."  
  
~{Doesn't really matter when you really think about it. We'll be off and gone long before he figures it out. That god doesn't have a clue.}~ Zax ran a finger over the book that Cloud had been looking at and smiled warmly when the blonde flopped back in the chair and sighed heavily. ~{May I ask why you are so interested in wrangling information out of Hades about everyone's favourite crazed General?}~  
  
"Because I think he knows more than he is letting on, and I want the information that he has. I think that he knows where Sephiroth is." Cloud rubbed his eyes, trying to rub away the exhaustion that he felt resting over his body. He had to at least find to location that he could teleport to before he would allow himself to find a comfortable spot to settling himself for a sleep, meaning he had to stare at the scroll he now had. All he needed was the focus to keep his eyes from closing.  
  
Zax leaned back on his elbows and watched Cloud struggle against sleep. ~{What do you plan to do when you find Sephiroth?}~  
  
Cloud sighed and dropped his hands back to his sides. "Kill him again. This time I hope that he stays in the grave." He glanced over at the dark-haired man, noting that Zax was looking elsewhere, a common sign that his friend knew something that he did not. "Are you going to tell me what you know?"  
  
~{Nah, it's not important. I was just thinking.}~ Zax grinned and shook out his dark mane, avoiding looking at Cloud. Certainly, he knew information that the blonde did not, seeing as he was one with the planet that was desperate to prevent Cloud's fall into darkness. He knew Sephiroth's purpose in Cloud's life, and he doubted that it would be his place to tell the blonde that the actual light that Cloud had been thinking of for the last while was actually a crazed obsessive General. He knew that Sephiroth had been created by the planet to be the blonde's one and only light, but it had been unable to stop the transition of the General as it concentrated on protecting its strong heart from danger. A light could be easily replaced, a strong heart could not.  
  
Slowly, Zax looked back at Cloud and smiled slightly, noting the blonde's questioning stare in his direction. ~{Why do you hate him so? He seemed like a good guy before the insanity, yet...you never seemed to like him then either. It was weird.}~  
  
Cloud couldn't help rolling his eyes like an annoyed child. "It doesn't matter. We have other things to do before I move to take him down again." He noted Zax's hardened look and shrugged his shoulders, looking in the opposite direction of his friend. He could immediately tell that this conversation would not end until he had explained himself fully, a fact that annoyed him in his tired state. "Look, he ruined my reputation. The people hate me thanks to what he did."  
  
~{The murders?}~ Zax didn't need Cloud to reply, the blonde's pained look giving away how much Sephiroth's actions had wounded Cloud. ~{He killed whole sections of town with your sword and covered you in blood to wake up after he drugged you. Everyone said that you had gone mad and butchered innocent families who had looked up to you as a hero. They blamed the Heartless attack that happened the next day on you. I seem to remember...}~  
  
"Zax, stop...I don't want to remember. That...was a long time ago." Cloud nearly pleaded, rubbing his eyes again if only to keep his hands from fidgeting with his belt buckles. "Sephiroth took everything from me. My life, my friends, my duties...I killed him while Aerith watched because he had taken her hostage after murdering Leokas. I had to cut him down to save her before abandoning my duties to save Leokas' only daughter...I raised her, Zax." Cloud looked down at his hands as if they may still be covered with the blood of that fateful day so many years ago. "I took her to Traverse Town and hid away my face with a cloak. No one knew I was there, but I heard all the rumors...the hate. Every survivor of Hollow Bastion hated me, hoped that I had died...only Aerith believed because she had seen him do it...."  
  
Zax cocked his head to the side, watching the blonde sink a little more heavily into the wooden chair, looking suddenly much older and exhausted. ~{Why do you think that he did it?}~  
  
Cloud couldn't hold in a snort of disgust. "Because he was insane."  
  
~{He watched you. Everyday, slipping in and out of the shadows, eyes constantly on you. He always knew where to find you...even scheduled it so that he could watch you at your guard post for a night shift. He would watch you constantly for hours.}~ Zax slipped off the desk when Cloud began to fidget, slipping in behind the blonde's back, setting his hands on the shoulders of the chair. He leaned in close so that his ear was beside Cloud. ~{He watched every movement, every blink of an eye, every shift of clothing, every shift in your hair with a breeze...no movement of yours went unnoticed.}~ He grabbed the blonde's shoulders when Cloud moved to stand, forcing Cloud to remain seated. ~{And you always knew that he was there. Every night...every second that he slipped into range near you. You liked his attention...didn't you, until he betrayed you...?}~  
  
"No." Cloud snapped, trying to shift his shoulders out of Zax's grip. He glanced back when the dark-haired man continued to hold him firmly. His gaze met with Zax's, and he was forced to look away when he knew that his eyes betrayed him, an admittance that he would never voice out loud to anyone.  
  
He had been lulled by the sudden attention that he had received from the General, more curious as to the reasons for the change, but he had also been slightly entranced. In all of his life, he had never been the subject to constant attention, never wanted for the person that he was, not even by his own family. He had fallen into equal curiosity of the General as Sephiroth had seemed to have for him, but he had maintained a very stonic appearance on the outside, only his glowing eyes betraying the fact that he took some semblance of comfort from the General watching him from the shadows. He had often voiced how he hated the General's attention to improve his skill, but he had enjoyed it in the silence of his own mind. He had wanted to be accepted by his peers, instead, they envied his skill with a blade, all except Sephiroth who viewed him differently, as if they were standing an equal level with one another. He had fought for that equality, but he had only received it from the General, despite their often bloody spars. He supposed that, aside from Leokas, Sephiroth was the closest friend that he had back then.  
  
His mother had always told him that love was a weakness, that she had once fallen into the trap before he was born. She had often voiced the fact that it was a poison that should be avoided at all costs, especially for her only child. He remembered the long lectures of the signs of being in love and how to avoid them. He had listened to it for so long that he now considered her words the reason for the fact that he had never falling for anyone. He had felt nothing for the women that often hung on him at the royal balls, the men that slapped him on the shoulder for good luck before he walked into the arena against the General, and even for the woman the his uncle seemed bound and determined to have him marry. He had only felt alone, standing on the outside beside his mother who often lost herself in a distant memory, a memory that he knew was of a lost love. She never spoke of the other man, and he never asked about it.  
  
Then she left him standing alone on one side of the wall that he could never get past to associate with other people. And so, he continued to stand alone, sometimes cursing his mother's good luck of death. He stood looking out at the sunset, aware that no one could understand how he had grown to be the warrior that he had become, stunted with an almost childish innocence that he was desperate to hide from prying eyes. He had watched the world pass him by from a window or from behind a fence where the other children never realized that he was there until he had lived twelve summers.  
  
Up till that point, his life had been swinging a sword. He woke up, practiced, ate lunch, practiced, ate dinner, practiced, learned to read and write, practiced, slept, dreamed of practicing. Occasionally, his loud uncle would order him around and make rude comments on how small he was, a runt of an illegitimate litter as he was called. He never understood those words considering his father had been rightfully married to his mother, and he had never really understood how his uncle could hate his father so, especially considering Walian was his uncle's only brother. Perhaps it was because he was the only male offspring produced, meaning he was the only child that the family had who had the ability to carry on the Strife name.  
  
Yet, he never married. He never loved, and he never even bothered to concern himself with women too much. He was not interested in rolling in the sheets with anyone; frankly, he wouldn't know what to do with a naked woman if he had one or a man for that matter. He was confused with the entire process, and, in his confusion, he had refused to learn for fear of reducing himself to a foolish child again. However, he had seemed to receive more attention from the women the more he resisted, like he had become some sort of silent challenge to bed. He suspected that there was a bet going on with the court women and even his fellow guards who would be the first to slip beneath the sheets with him. None of them won that bet, though the one drunken rape attempt had been as close as he had come, but that guard had 'accidentally' broken his arms and legs in multiple places.  
  
Cloud sighed heavily and glanced over to Zax, fully aware that the silence between them had persisted for an extended period of time. He flipped the book beside the dark-haired man closed and climbed to his feet, not interested in reading anymore. He looked at Zax, leaning in on his friend until their equally glowing gazes met. "He'll be dead by the time I free Hollow Bastion."  
  
~{You really are determined to hide what you don't understand. I mean, it's obvious the guy likes you...probably in more ways than one...but you...you just stay completely stonic.}~ Zax hopped off the table that he had been sitting on, folding his hands behind his head as Cloud turned to regard him once more. ~{You've been like this since the first day that I met you. Don't you think that you've been alive and free long enough to want to make yourself happy for once?}~  
  
"I am happy." Cloud replied.  
  
~{Angst doesn't count as a happy emotion.}~ Zax quipped back, letting his hands fall back to his sides. ~{Look at you!}~ He gestured at the blonde from head to foot. ~{You never smile. You bottle up your feelings because that's what has been beaten into you from the time you could walk. You are out to please everyone else, to uphold some stupid reputation that you are important to people. If you don't understand something, you avoid doing it. For the planet's sake, you don't even break the rules to further yourself!}~  
  
Cloud looked away from his friend and shifted his weight, setting a hand on his hip. "What makes you devil's advocate all of a sudden?"  
  
~{You also have a nasty habit of avoiding uncomfortable situations where your motives may be questioned.}~ Zax walked over towards the blonde and rested a hand on Cloud's shoulder, noting that the blonde attempted to shrug off his hand. ~{Stop running away, Cloud.}~  
  
Cloud seized Zax by the collar of the dark-haired man's sweater, pulling Zax close to him so that their noses were only a few inches apart. "What do you know, Zax? You know absolutely nothing about me! You ran off just like she did!" He felt a bit of the colour drain from his face as he shoved Zax back and turned his back to the dark-haired man. He felt ashamed that he had lost some of his temper over something so trivial, but he was stubborn enough where he would not apologize. "I will get by doing things my way, just like I always have."  
  
Zax sighed heavily. ~{Geez Cloud, you need to get laid...badly!}~ Even as it was intended as a joke, he knew the punch was coming long before Cloud swiveled in one smooth motion, accepting the blow happily. He technically deserved it, but he needed to force the blonde to face the unknown that Cloud was always avoiding. He knew that the blonde had been force fed too much neglect and anger, and it was now hindering Cloud's abilities to resist the darkness.  
  
He stumbled back a few steps and rubbed his throbbing jaw. ~{Nice punch...I bet that you're a really quiet lover, no screaming, no nothing. Some people are really into that. They think it's a challenge.}~ He knew that he was poking at an already cornered animal, but it appeared to be working. Cloud was venting, at him but venting all the same. If he could get Cloud to open up just a little bit, the blonde would be able to resist the darkness more.  
  
"I don't need to listen to this. I have better things to do with my time." Cloud turned and stalked away from the dark-haired man.  
  
~{Coward. Running away with your tail tucked between your legs just like you always do when the going gets tough.}~ Zax admitted that even he was shocked when Cloud turned and leapt clean across the table between them, gasping as his neck was seized, and he was slammed back against a bookcase. Luckily, he couldn't actually be choked. ~{What do you feel, Cloud?}~  
  
"Nothing." Cloud stated firmly.  
  
Zax wrapped his hands around Cloud's strong wrists. ~{You're lying. You feel something about him. What do you feel?}~  
  
"Nothing!" Cloud insisted more firmly.  
  
~{What do you feel?!}~ Zax gritted his teeth as Cloud's hands tightened around his throat considerably, moving passed the point of the blonde's natural strength.  
  
"I want him dead!" Cloud breathed out from between clenched teeth.  
  
~{Why do you want him dead?}~ Zax now strained to break Cloud's hold on his neck, feeling his windpipe being crushed under the blonde's strong grip. He also felt dark energy building, a complete opposite to what he wanted, immediately noting that Cloud's wing slipped from beneath the red cloak. He grimaced as the blonde's hand began to turn very cold. ~{Cloud...stop!}~  
  
Cloud knew that Zax had spoken to him, but he could not focus on the words as he tried to figure out why he was so bound and determined to have Sephiroth removed from existence. He was aware of the answer, but the whispers wouldn't let him act on them, the feeling of wings moving to embrace him making his mind jump from one thought to another much too quickly to focus. He was not even sure of the words that he spoke as a cold satisfied chuckle echoed in his ear. "They never loved me...They hated me! I'm a curse that everyone hates. My own parents loathed me from the moment I was born!"  
  
Zax let out a small cry of pain as dark energy pulled at his skin, and he was aware of the blonde's grip tightening again, certain that Cloud was about to break his neck. ~{Cloud... why do you hate the General?}~  
  
"..."  
  
~{Cloud, why do you hate the General? What has he done to make you like this?}~ Zax questioned again, this time with more pain in his voice.  
  
Cloud felt a cruel smirk pull over his lips that was not truly his own, and he watched as Zax's eyes widened with silent acknowledgement. He felt his arms begin to shake with strain as he forced himself to take control of his body again, a war between two sides waged where he could not actually see his opponent this time. He let out a small growl as he ripped his hands away from Zax's throat and forced himself back a few feet, grabbing his head as a soft chuckle slithered through his mind, the phantom brush of a hand on his lower back.  
  
'You're so lovely when you resist. We can play this game for a long time...' A sinister voice echoed passed the blonde's ear.  
  
"No! I won't let you! Get out!" Cloud swiveled his body, shaking his head wildly in an attempt to rid himself of the coldness that was slipping around his shoulders. He was unable to hold in a straggled cry as his knees gave out on him like the back of his legs had been kicked, yet he felt the darkness melt away from him as he put more force behind his struggles and pulled himself free once more. He felt himself falling backwards vaguely, grunting when arms wrapped around his shoulders and his body was steadied again. "Zax...?"  
  
Zax pulled the blonde close to his chest and sighed in relief, glad that Cloud had resisted against the attack. ~{It's alright, Cloud. You did great just like I knew that you could.}~ He rested his forehead against the blonde's temple, not certain if he could handle the darkness that kept grabbing at Cloud whenever he tried to help. Things were starting to get very dangerous, for both Cloud and himself.  
  
Cloud leaned against his friend, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable in his armour. He closed his eyes and sighed contently. "I think...I'm going to sleep for a little while...."  
  
~{Oh no you aren't! I am not dragging your sorry butt around the Underworld halls. You are staying awake long enough to get to your room!}~ Zax hefted Cloud up, wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist as Cloud continued to lean heavily on him. He practically started to drag the blonde from the library, occasionally kicking Cloud's feet to get them working. ~{You're getting lazy in your old age, Cloud.}~  
  
"Maybe I should retire then...I'm getting too old for this stuff..." Cloud smiled weakly when Zax laughed and forced his feet beneath him again, forcing his body to walk just a little further. He could worry about taking off his armour when he actually made it to his room. "I wonder if the Underworld gives a good pension...?"  
  
Zax smiled at Cloud's attempt at humouring him. It was rare that the blonde was in a jocular mood. ~{Doubtful. You haven't put in your twenty-five years into the service.}~  
  
"Damn..."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth stared at the note in his gloved hand, somewhat confused as to whom it had come from and what it meant. He shifted his weight and leaned back against the burning building at his back, completely comfortable with the flames jumping from home to home. He reached back and scratched his head, still examining to letter before turning it over in his hands, quirking an eyebrow at a strange symbol on the back, one that he recognized slightly. "Heartless?" He looked around him for the bearer of the message to question to sender of this little bizarre gift. He eventually glanced back down to the note. "I wasn't aware that the Heartless were literate..." Slowly, his eyes scanned the strange message once more.  
  
'You failed and now you are losing.'  
  
He slowly let the paper slip through his fingers, taking a step back when the paper melted into a black puddle that shifted into a small Heartless. He watched the creature before clenching a fist, suddenly very aware of just who had sent him a letter. "Ansem..." He took a step away from the Heartless, moving to stand in the middle of the blood stained street. "So, you knew where to find me, meaning you've become more powerful. And by writing me a letter, it means that you have a body." He glanced back at the Heartless that seemed equally intent on watching him in return. "I take it that this message is an invitation that you have something important to tell me? You never did have much tact for originality."  
  
He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair before summoning up a teleportation spell. He had done his end of the bargain with Hades, so he supposed that he could take the time to find out what his older brother wanted from him. He slipped into the darkness without another thought and stepped out in the main hall of Hollow Bastion's palace, glancing about at the women frozen in crystals. He recognized one as the Princess of Heart that he had captured.  
  
He didn't have to wait long for the sound of boots on carpet and slowly turned to regard a strange woman dressed in all black, shifting his gaze away as if completely disinterested. He ignored her and looked around the room, noting that it had not changed considerably. Eventually, he glanced back at the dark-clad woman. "What are you staring at, woman?"  
  
"May I ask who you may be? This place is not for mortals, especially one's with simple blades such as that. The Heartless own this area." Maleficent stated flatly, not particularly impressed with this silver-haired man herself. She did sense dark power around the man, one that was quite strong, but she was not about to mention such to him. "I suggest you leave."  
  
Sephiroth snorted arrogantly. "I have business here. I suggest your remove yourself before you feel just how simple this sword is. I've killed for less." He walked a few steps away, eyes narrowing as a dark circle formed around him, Heartless stepping into his path. He sighed heavily and shook his head. "I'm in no mood for games, foolish witch." He lifted a hand in the air and summoned up his fire pillar.  
  
Maleficent felt her lips curve upwards ever so slightly, now certain of the power that this warrior had. This man had partially given over to the darkness, meaning that he was controllable, and she was in need of new warriors since the failure by almost all of her comrades. She was about to open her mouth to greet him properly when Riku stepped up beside her, a strange smile set across the boy's lips, as if he recognized the silver-haired warrior. "Dear boy, you have other business to attend to."  
  
"Don't play with me." Ansem replied harshly, glancing at Maleficent out of the corner of his eye. He smirked as Sephiroth turned to regard him, there gazes meeting equally. He noted that his younger sibling had arrived much more quickly than he had expected, meaning that Sephiroth had nothing better to do than be patronized. "Welcome back, my brother." He noted Maleficent's calculating look and folded his hands behind his back, turning to regard her fully. "Leave. I have private business to attend to, meaning that you are not currently wanted here."  
  
Sephiroth watched as the woman slowly nodded, cast him a devious look before turning and disappearing out of the room. He immediately turned his attention back to the child standing in front of him, only the boy's voice giving away the fact that it was Ansem. He smirked and walked over to his older brother, reaching out to pat Ansem on the head as one would a small child. "And here I thought you had grown up. Obviously, I was wrong."  
  
Ansem shifted his head away from Sephiroth's touch and started to walk down the hallway, casually walking up the steps until he had reached the open platform. He glanced to the side as Sephiroth merely jumped the distance to stand beside him. "I take it that my new body does not meet your approval?"  
  
"I could think of older people to take over." Sephiroth replied, shifting himself so that he was facing the boy. "What's this about? I have much more important things to do with my time than come when you send me silly messages to prove that you found a body."  
  
"Ah, so you did get my message. I thought as much considering you arrived so quickly after I had sent it to you. Obviously, the words have confused your puny little brain, drawing you back here as quickly as your teleportation spell could carry you." Ansem smirked when Sephiroth did not answer and merely glared at him instead. He chuckled softly and gestured as his brother. "So, what is it you want to know?"  
  
Sephiroth flexed his hand, aware that he could strike his older brother down now that Ansem inhabited a normal body. He would be sure to keep such things in mind for now and not act upon them just yet. "You said that I failed. What...?"  
  
Ansem lifted a hand dismissively. "Let's leave that part till last, shall we?" He didn't bother to wait for a reply. "You are failing miserably at protecting that little thing you call your property. He's slipping into darkness faster than I anticipated, and the planet is screaming loudly. I think it even sent a messenger to try to slow the process, but General Strife's little quirks are pulling him down."  
  
"And what quirks would those be?" Sephiroth questioned wearily, interested in finding information about his property that may lead him to capturing his canary more quickly.  
  
"Let's just say that he gives you a run for top prize about trouble childhood. Actually, he has been treated much more roughly than you have, and he is just good at hiding his flaws away." Ansem shifted his weight and folded his hands behind his back again, glancing at his younger sibling when Sephiroth seemed to be forming new ideas of what could have happened to Cloud. He smirked and shook his head. "Anyway, I want you to stop his spiraling decent into darkness before all of Hollow Bastion dies. It would do me little good to make it this far just to have my strongest General falter at the finish line. I need him in good enough condition to finish my work, so I'm employing you with the duty of stopping the darkness for a little while."  
  
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow, smirking as he found it amusing that Ansem always seemed to 'employ' him when his older brother required help. He was well-aware that Ansem trusted him the most of anyone, probably because he allowed himself to be controlled by his sibling without much question. All he wanted was Cloud, and if Ansem was ordering him to get a bit closer to his property, he would do it without much persuasion. All he needed was some space to work with Cloud. "I will do what I can...though..."  
  
Ansem quirked a silvery eyebrow, not used to hearing Sephiroth speaking with hesitation. "What is it?"  
  
"It's Hades. I work for him, under a particularly nasty contract where I cannot have open contact with my property. I cannot speak a word he can hear or place anything in regards to myself in his path." Sephiroth looked down at his gloved hand, wiggling his fingers in slight boredom. He eventually glanced over to his brother, noting that Ansem seemed to be thinking about his words, a small smirk pulling at his lips. What better way to have his contract revoked than by the head-case controlling Hades indirectly. "Therefore, I can only have contact with my Cloud when Hades permits." He didn't bother to mention to dream he had coming his way, not seeing it to his advantage.  
  
"Interesting." Ansem began to pace almost casually, his mind working over the information that he had just been given. This would not help him very much if Sephiroth could not come in contact with his favourite General, but the fact that Hades controlled his younger sibling made it all the more easy for him to work his authority. "I will be sure to speak with Hades and insist that he change your terms. I need you for duties that involve General Strife. Once I have your terms changed, you will help me?"  
  
Sephiroth smirked and let his hand drop back to his side. "I'll give you what you want, and I will get what I want. This just gives me a better chance to claim him fully, with or without his consent." He sighed almost contently, enjoying the new opportunity that was set before him to cage his now struggling canary. Perhaps Cloud had accidentally broken a wing in his struggles, meaning he required some help to be nurtured back to good health, a service he was fully willing to provide.  
  
Ansem smirked and turned away from Sephiroth, moving towards to large door that would lead him to the End of the World. Even if sealed, he would know the path, and now that he had insurance that his General would not slip below the surface, he could enjoy his soon-to-be victory. He felt Sephiroth walk up beside him but didn't bother to glance back at his younger sibling. All of the pieces were falling into place, just like he had planned. Soon, the keyblade would arrive, and he would let the consciousness in his body loose to kill the brunette. He predicted an easy victory on the bases of probability of his abilities compared to those of the boy on the way.  
  
"What about the other part of the note?" Sephiroth asked quietly, smirking when he broke Ansem from whatever crazed thought his older brother was having. When Ansem looked at him in annoyance, he folded his arms across his chest stubbornly. "The note, Ansem. The other part of the note. I want to know what your crazed words meant."  
  
Ansem sighed in annoyance and waved a dismissive hand in the air, more in the mood for evil plotting than dealing with his younger sibling right now. "What do you think it meant?"  
  
Sephiroth shook his head slightly. "I don't claim to want to understand what goes on in that ugly head of yours. Tell me and I will leave to perform my other duties."  
  
"I said that you failed, and that is exactly what I meant. You're a failure." Ansem stated coldly, glancing over to Sephiroth.  
  
"I believe you've told that to me many times over our childhoods, meaning that it could be for anything that you might want to dredge up from the past." Sephiroth stated equally as coldly, setting a hand over Masamune's hilt, a silent warning that he was not in the mood for Ansem's mind games.  
  
Ansem didn't have to glance down at Sephiroth's sword to know his sibling's intent with the blade, especially considering he was practically at the right height now to stare directly at his brother's sword. He sighed and shook his head, looking back at the enormous door. "Very well. Since you are intent of being the royal bastard that you are, I will speak plainly for you, in slow sentences just so that you can follow along." Ansem swiveled gracefully to fully face Sephiroth, their gaze meeting. "You failed to sire any sort of progeny. General Strife remains the only child to Walian. Though you attempted for years to hide your secret of wanting a child, especially one as gifted as Strife, it was still very obvious to me how you treated him when you got it in your ridiculous fantasies that the boy could in fact be your child."  
  
Sephiroth had suspected that those would be the words from Ansem's mouth, but even in his obsessive state of mind, it fell on him like a ton of bricks. Perhaps it was not the information that Cloud was not his child that bothered him the most; rather, he thought it was the fact that Ansem had easily picked out his desire to have a child that made his body feel cold. Certainly, he had desired a child of his own, and the fact that Cloud had been hidden for so long almost sealed it in his mind that the blonde was most likely his only offspring.  
  
Yet, he could not ignore the small part of him that was denying Ansem's information. As far as he could tell, Cloud could still be his child. The boy's age, paired with the date of the blonde's birth meant that either man could technically be Cloud's father. He had carried his relationship with Elecia until her marriage to Walian, indicating that she could have already conceived the child with him. Also, as far as he could tell in his background check, Walian had actually failed to sire another child on Elecia, though she did become pregnant at least three more times after Cloud's birth, but she had been unable to take those children to term. With all things considered, Cloud should be his child.  
  
He glared at Ansem who was calmly watching him. "He's mine." He stated with a hint of protective anger in his voice. "His date of birth, his age, the fact that Walian could not sire another child on her...Cloud must be my child."  
  
Ansem sensed that this would be the case with his stubborn brother and smiled in pity. "Even if that was all true, a bastard is not allowed to sire a child by the rules of the court. If Cloud is your son, I would have put an end to the boy's life long ago to uphold the laws, but I did not." He held up a hand when Sephiroth was about to reply heatedly, waving his younger sibling into silence once more. "You are an old man, my brother. How old is it? Eighty? Ninty now?"  
  
Sephiroth lifted his chin and glared at Ansem. "I don't see how my age has anything to do with my abilities." He watched Ansem's skeptical look and shook his head. "One hundred and four if you can't subtract from your own age."  
  
"Ah, yes." Ansem smiled and ran a hand through his short silver hair. "It was so long ago that father made us immortals, was it not?" He chuckled when Sephiroth merely grunted a response, probably thinking up a new way to convince him that Cloud's father was not so certain. He smiled almost pleasantly at Sephiroth. "Father was a brilliant man. He always knew how to enforce the rules by dodging them completely and making it so that they could not actually be broken."  
  
Sephiroth quirked an annoyed eyebrow and brushed a few stray locks of hair back over his shoulder. "Father was a lunatic. You are quickly going that way too, with all this subtle scheming and body-snatching."  
  
Ansem cocked his head to the side and smirked. "You don't get it, do you?" When Sephiroth merely stared at him, he shook his head. "Father knew that there was a chance that you might try to sire your own little bastards so he made sure to sterilize you." He took a small step when Sephiroth's eyes flashed angrily and held up his hands so that he could finish explaining himself. "Don't worry, you are not alone in your sterileness. I'm unable to have children and so is our darling Strife. Any who has been subjected the darkness for the purpose of gaining immortality...sadly lose the ability to sire children."  
  
Sephiroth turned his face to the side angrily. "And why would father make it so that his heir to the throne was unable to sire children?"  
  
"You were a smart boy back then. Father suspected that you may figure something was amiss if it was only you, so he made a large sacrifice by having me included." Ansem smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "See, you aren't alone, but you also cannot be Strife's father."  
  
Sephiroth growled. "Yet, you continually kept prodding at the uncertainty of Cloud's origin. So, you either didn't know yourself until recently, or you were playing with me?"  
  
Ansem smirked cruelly and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "It is an older sibling's duty to torment his younger brother." He watched Sephiroth's hand settle on the sword. "I knew, but I was doing an experiment on you, as usual. I was testing your behaviour when the object of uncertainty is placed in front of you. I never thought that you had the parental side to you, but I will admit that you surprised me. You took to Strife faster than you had to any other guard. Mind you, the fact that Strife was your only challenge did also play a factor in my study."  
  
Sephiroth snarled angrily and stalked the distance between them and grabbed the front of Ansem's yellow shirt, pulling his brother off the floor. He unsheathed his blade and pressed it against his older brother's throat. "I could slit your throat and put a stop to your mad plans right now."  
  
"You could, but you won't." Ansem smirked, quirking an eyebrow as the blade as his throat pushed in further. Had he underestimated his younger sibling's reaction to torment? He doubted it, but he decided to make certain that Sephiroth would not kill this body seeing as he was unsure of what would happen to his spirit if the body died. "Brother, I meant no harm by hiding the information from you. However, I've now opened up a new opportunity for you, a much better one."  
  
Sephiroth tightened his grip on the boy's shirt, eyes narrowing angrily. "And what new opportunity would that be, dearest brother?"  
  
Ansem noted that Sephiroth was not about to put him back on the floor and sighed heavily, wondering what he had done to get such a short-tempered brother after the darkness had driven Sephiroth down a more insane path. "Put me down and I will tell you."  
  
"Tell me now and I will put you down." Sephiroth replied coldly. "Don't tell me and you'll end up on the floor in many pieces."  
  
Ansem rolled his eyes, reaching up to grasp Sephiroth's wrist. "Simply because General Strife is not your offspring doesn't mean that you can't make him yours by other means. Think of it, brother." When Sephiroth made no response and almost impatiently tapped a foot, Ansem shifted himself in his younger sibling's strong grip. "Imagine his body against yours, every muscles moving because you make it so, having him trapped against you, whispering your name alone breathlessly...think of how beautiful he would be arching beneath you, grasping you desperately for final release...Imagine how wonderful it would be...."  
  
Sephiroth shifted his weight and unwittingly felt his grip on Ansem's shirt loosen and his sword pull away a little. Yes, he had thought of that when he had first come to be intent on making the blonde his all those years ago. He had nearly made an attempt to claim Cloud's body before the fall of Hollow Bastion, but the night of his plans, Cloud had actually decided to be social and wander in a group of guards.  
  
He had been certain to study the blonde in every way over the five years that it had come to his attention that he desired his only challenge to become simply that, only his. He was watched every reaction, every shift of muscle, every situation that would produce a smile, every water droplet that slipped down the blonde's flesh when Cloud bathed. He had first been mesmerized with every detail that he had missed previously and had quickly admitted that he may try something if he were ever in the bathhouse alone with the blonde. Even during the spars he managed to convince Cloud into, he had been intent to get close for any physical contact when watching no longer suited him. Even a single brush of skin was enough to make him desire more.  
  
He knew that Cloud would have resisted his advances, seeing as the blonde had never taken a lover, though the bets to do so ran rampant through the court. No, he had never attempted to bed Elecia's only child, though he now wished that he had. If he couldn't have Elecia, her offspring would technically be the next best thing, though Cloud did have characteristics that were just as intoxicatingly sweet. If he pursued long enough, he knew that he could bed the blonde and keep him the next morning too.  
  
Ansem could see Sephiroth's mind working and smirked, aware that his plan to keep Cloud safe would come together if his younger sibling could keep the blonde occupied and out of danger. Even if that meant having Sephiroth sleep with the blonde, he would rather have to deal with that instead of having his greater plans fail. Besides, he would be interested in seeing what effect such an act would have on the stoic blonde, if only for new experimental properties. He thought that it was about time that someone shook Cloud's foundations other than obsessive insanity.  
  
He grinned when Sephiroth placed him back on the ground and smoothed down his tight shirt again. "I told you it was a new great opportunity. Now, if only you would be able to pull it off."  
  
"I will make him mine. Perhaps clipping his wings will just be the start of getting him to submit to me?" Sephiroth sheathed his blade at his side again and ran his chin over his knuckles, thinking of the best way to slip a hand around the blonde and claim Cloud once and for all. "I doubt that forcing him would do well."  
  
Ansem quirked an eyebrow and folded his hands behind his back. "You can't rape the willing, Sephiroth."  
  
It was Sephiroth's turn to quirk an eyebrow. "What are you implying?"  
  
"Oh please, you didn't see it?" Ansem ran a hand through his hair before folding his arms across his chest. "I think Strife is just playing hard to get. Play a little hard ball with him, and I'm sure he'll show his real colours." He smirked, knowing that his suggestion could have an adverse effect of what he wanted, but at least he could laugh when the blonde slugged his younger sibling. Besides, he wanted Sephiroth to move close as quickly as possible, and if his brother decided the push the issue, at least Strife would have a real good reason to give in to the darkness and rip Sephiroth limb from limb. He would get a good show. Besides, it was all in the name of science, so it was justified.  
  
Sephiroth passed a sideways glance at Ansem and noted his sibling's calculated look. He would watch Cloud before making any attempt to claim the blonde, if only to eliminate the small factor that the blonde may actually show some interest that he was not aware of. Of course, the probability that he had missed such an important detail was very low. He prided himself on knowing all that there was about his men, meaning that Cloud could not have hidden something like that. No, he was certain that he would have to work for it, but he always liked a challenge, especially Cloud.  
  
Ansem let his hands drop back to his sides as he sensed the keyblade drawing close, glancing at Sephiroth. "I have other business arriving. I suggest you leave and make yourself useful elsewhere." He began walking down the steps before his younger sibling could protest, instinctively aware when Sephiroth left the area, a crooked smirk forming on his features. He ran a hand down his arm. "Time to let you loose on your little friend, Riku. Don't disappoint me."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth slipped silently into Cloud's room, pressing himself up against the door as he slid the wood back into place quietly. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkened room, and he became acutely aware of the signs of a temper tantrum, something that was so rare from Cloud. He stepped over the shattered remnants of what looked to be a table and proceeded cautiously over to where he knew that the blonde was sleeping soundly thanks to Hades.  
  
He nearly tripped over carelessly discarded armour, noting that the pieces were strewn about the room in a fashion that indicated that Cloud had not really cared where the armour landed. The blonde's boots were separated by quite a distance, probably kicked off unceremoniously just to be rid of the confines of leather. He was amused by the fact that the blonde's many belts were strewn around the room as if a battle had happened to remove the leather. It appeared that only the blonde's cloak had managed to be dropped in a suitable place and lay hanging on one of the only chairs remaining. He noted that even Cloud's sword, the blonde's most prized possession, had been allowed to fall to the stone floor where it would, indicating either an extreme hurry or exhaustion, Sephiroth voting for the latter because he had often seen Cloud working himself too hard for the Royal Guards.  
  
He ventured closer to the bed, stopping when his knees brushed the edge, leaving him to look down at the curled form of one of his most prized possessions. He smiled as he found Cloud mostly curled up, only one hand drifting beneath the pillow and the blonde's hair sweeping down across Cloud's face, hiding the blonde's closed eyes. Cloud looked more relaxed than was normally possible for the blonde, though the fact that Cloud's sweater was half-pulled up and the blonde's pants were undone made him raise a questionable eyebrow. Obviously Cloud's clothing had won the battle and the blonde had given up half-way through an attempt to remove the articles of material. It appeared to him that the blonde had only defeated his socks, bare feet curled together as if to keep warm.  
  
Slowly, he let a hand run down the blonde's naked arm, eyes shifting to where Cloud's head rested half way on the pillow. He leaned over the sleeping warrior, running his gloved fingers through the now mostly disheveled blonde spikes, smiling when Cloud did not move away from his touch.  
  
He stood straight again, gaze still fixed on his property, as he began to remove his gloves, laying the black leather on the nearby table that leaned precariously. Slowly, he removed the metal belts around his wrists, legs, and waist, casually pulling off his leather coat and tossing it on a nearby chair that only had three legs and shuddered under the weight of the material. He pushed Cloud's legs over so that he could seat himself on the edge of the bed to removed his boots as if he lived in the same room, more relaxed and comfortable than he should be with such a dangerous warrior sleeping next to him. He set his boots aside and stretched out his legs before glancing once at the door just to make sure that it was still closed. Casually, he turned and climbed over the blonde, settling himself in behind Cloud, chuckling when the blonde still didn't shift away from him.  
  
One thing about Cloud that had always amused him was the fact that the blonde was an extremely heavy sleeper. He once had to drag Cloud from bed still asleep and shake the blonde quite violently in order to rose Cloud from slumber. Of course, once Cloud was awake, he later found out, there was no way that the blonde would sleep again for the rest of the night. Many of the guards had mocked the blonde for the odd sleeping habits, not usually one that made for a good guard. However, the fact that Cloud could remain awake for four days straight to cover for sick comrades and then managed to sleep for a full day in the noisy sleeping barracks was a feat that even Sephiroth wished that he had. Still, he had never understood how Cloud could sleep through yelling drunk guards, but the moment a weapon was unsheathed in the blonde's general vicinity, Cloud was wide awake and ready for action. It was quite impressive to watch and he himself had only seen it twice only because he had been walking by when the blonde's fellows decided to play a practical joke that involved cutting off Cloud's clothing to make it look like the blonde had been a victim of abuse or rape, he wasn't sure.  
  
Still, an unarmed opponent could easily slip into the blonde's bed, just as he was doing. Even without Hades' help, he knew that Cloud would probably not rouse at all during the night so he was prepared to take full advantage of the blonde's sleeping quirk.  
  
Sephiroth casually shoved Cloud's head off of the pillow, chuckling when the blonde mumbled something unintelligible in response. He lifted the pillow and shook his head as he found exactly what he knew he would be faced with. In the blonde's hand was a fairly substantial knife that could seriously threatened any enemy's life, and the knife he knew had a long history with the blonde. He reached down and shifted Cloud's hold on the hilt of the blade, smirking as his eyes fell on an inscription of 'Walian Strife', Cloud's father's name. It was the only possession that the blonde kept of his father, and he knew that Cloud had only used to blade three times, all of those times causing nearly life-threatening injury to his would-be attackers.  
  
He silently replaced the pillow, not really wanting to wrestle the blade from Cloud's often stubborn grip. He carefully pulled the blonde's head back onto the pillow, nestling his own body closer, lifting a hand brush his fingers through Cloud's soft hair before running his fingers down the blonde's naked arm. He grasped the upper part of Cloud's arm and gazed down into the blonde's peacefully sleeping face, a crooked smile playing over his lips. "I could clip your wings so easily, bringing you back to earth to my waiting arms...never to fly again." He released his hold on the blonde's arm, not interested in breaking the appendage, his hand instead running down to Cloud's nearest leg. "No, I think you will be needing some good health for a little while longer, and I would much rather allow you to keep your sensual wings...perhaps I'll just break your legs instead..."  
  
He quirked an eyebrow when the blonde shifted back against him, Cloud's leg swinging back to smash into his knee as if a sleepy warning. He chuckled and pulled the blonde closer, nestling his face into the crook of Cloud's warm neck as he snaked an arm protectively around the blonde's waist, lifting his head when his fingers brushed over a much slimmer waist than he last remembered. "Not eating? Tsk, tsk, that only encourages me, my canary."  
  
As he sat and watched Cloud sleep, he ran his fingers over the blonde's facial features, outlining the strong jaw, smooth cheek bones, golden eyebrows and perfect nose. He felt his jaw set with frustration as he picked out each of the younger man's parental features, finding none of them matching his own the harder he looked. "You should have been mine!" He whispered harshly, slamming his fist into the bed beside the blonde's face, uncurling his fingers to force Cloud's face to look up at him. He smirked possessively and leaned closer to the blonde, their lips nearly touching as his long hair slipped over his naked shoulder and pooled around Cloud's face. "Have no fear, my precious canary. You will be mine, and I will keep you nice and safe." He ran his finger over a different part of the blonde's face with each word. "You've always been mine, in one way or another. And soon, I will make it so that you will never leave my side again. I will cage you in my arms and keep you where I want you." He grinned crookedly as he glanced down at where Cloud's legs now outstretched themselves. "You don't need your legs when I get done with you so I doubt that you'll complain if you lose use of them for a few weeks while I make you mine again."  
  
Sephiroth chuckled and shifted himself back again, wrapping a leg protectively around the blonde's still clothed ones. He pushed his nose into the blonde's hair and breathed deeply before settling himself comfortably, gently kissing the back of Cloud's neck. "First thing first, my beautiful canary...If I win your mind, your body will follow easy." He tightened his hold around the blonde's waist, smirking arrogantly. "I think we should spend some...quality time together, since I've got two whole days with you, my little canary."  
  
He closed his eyes and relaxed, reaching out with his mind to find a connection with the sleeping blonde. Since he had already ventured into Cloud's mind, he found it easy to push through and stepped into a blackened landscape, one that he was familiar with. He just needed to find which dreamscape Cloud had escaped to, and he would be able to have his fun with the blonde once more.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well, if can't guess by now, this has turned into a potentially yaoi fic between Sephiroth and Cloud. I think I got a little carried away with the sex talk, and I am hoping to cut it down in the next chapter. I don't know. I tried rewriting certain parts, and I don't think that it changed much. Oh well, I guess I will live with it. Not my greatest chapter, but it settles things.  
  
Next up, the second encounter between Cloud and Sephiroth. Still thinking that one through, but I have a few ideas. It will be interesting to see Cloud actually ready to fight back and more happy realizations will come about. Maybe demonic Cloud will pop up and cop a feel again. Not sure what to do with considering he just sort of popped into my head, and he's decided to stay. On the bright side, I came up with a new fic idea with evil Cloud which I think would be kind of fun to write. 


	11. Revelations from the Shadows

Darkness Rising  
  
By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Heehee, I just wanted to say that when ' happens, it is to indicate a dream-like voice that Cloud can only hear unless otherwise specified. Of course, we all know that Cloud is crazy and hears voices in his head. ~{ indicates one very special person's speech. Of course, only Cloud can hear the voice (Geez, I give him way too many voices in his head)  
  
AUTHOR'S WARNING: This fic has been bumped up to a yaoi pairing between Sephiroth and Cloud. You have been warned so proceed at your own risk. So far, it is merely some shounen-ai, but it might turn a bit more in later chapters.  
  
Chapter 10 - Revelations from the Shadows  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud slowly walked down the confined streets of Hollow Bastion's Fourth District, kicking up dust as he moved. He leaned his head back and enjoyed the sun on his face, sighing as a warm breeze ruffled his hair. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and enjoyed the silence around him, only a distant memory of his neighbourhood.  
  
The lower sector, also known as the Fourth District, was more of a tangle of dirt roads that sometimes lead no where and others intersected for odd reasons. The houses were crammed together, sometimes placed on top of one another to provide for a growing family or extended family. The wood that made up the houses was often dull, slopping applications of paint having chipped away with each hot summer. Some houses had acquired a small piece of grassland, but it was usually dead from lack of care or so cluttered with various broken items that it was just an extra extension of the houses. The fences that separated the properties had broken down over time, just like the houses, some of the boards fallen into the mass of junk in the yard, leaving huge holes that anyone could wander through.  
  
It was hot, dusty, and cramped, but for Cloud, it still remained the place where he grew up. He passed by many of the houses that he had patrolled as a Royal Guard, smiling at fond memories of the occupants who would run out and greet him every time that he passed by. Even the sword on his back felt right as if he were on a sort of silent patrol, but this time, there were no people to greet him, no children running around noisily screaming, no dogs barking. Yet, he knew this place as if he had patrolled it just yesterday.  
  
Cloud stopped when he reached his mother's house, the one place that he loved and hated. He had spent most of his childhood in this now place, never to fully be acknowledged by anyone but his mother, his father, and his father's extended family. He had lived quietly in the upstairs two rooms mostly alone and only allowed to wander outside when his uncle could watch and make certain that he was not seen. His life until the age of twelve revolved around walking around his house, practicing, and sitting at his mother's feet when he was too young to practice sword fighting for extended periods of the day.  
  
Slowly, he pushed open the dark green door, smiling as it groaned unhappily as he entered, his height forcing him to duck slightly. He stepped into the open room that still smelled of drying herbs, spices, and dry wood, his mother's smell. He left the door open as he walked the perimeter of the kitchen, running his hand over the wooden table with the crack down the middle before stepping into the living room, eyes glancing over the dusty old chairs. The place was exactly as he remembered it, except for the emptiness.  
  
He glanced down the short narrow hallway that would lead to his parent's bedroom and the tiny bathroom before looking up the cramped stairwell that lead to the top of the house, his domain as a child. He cautiously started to climb the stair, not sure if his weight would be held but the crippled wood that shuddered under his foot. He had to turn himself slightly to the side just to keep his shoulders from brushing against the walls, but he eventually stepped up to the open spaces that was his room and training area.  
  
He looked into his small bedroom, the area meticulously clean of any items that may land him in trouble from his uncle. The straw bed was jammed into the nearest corner, furthest from the window that was constantly covered over with a blanket. There was a tiny table that had been subjected to more repairs than Cloud had summers, and it tittered precariously just like he remembered it. Aside from the bed and table, his room was bare aside from a closest where his clothes were kept, sometimes on shelves that were too far out of his reach, making him have to express some sort of dexterity at an early age just to get at his favourite shirts. Yet, the closet door was shut, just the way his uncle liked it.  
  
He slowly backtracked a few feet until he was standing at the entrance to his training room, which was the barest room in the entire house. It had nothing, no furniture, no window, no pictures. It was just walls and a floor, and each of those portions of the room had seen rough treatment over the years of his training. He wandered over to the large gash in the wall, the place where he lost his hold on his sword at the age of five and the blade had slammed into the wall so hard that it had stuck until he had cried loud enough for his mother to come up and give the sword back to him, seeing as he had tossed it out of his own meager reach. His fingers reached out and brushed over spots of old dried blood, instantly recognizing which incident in his life had made him bleed, all of which involving his uncle somehow.  
  
Cloud remembered his Uncle Grakas the most from his childhood and even in his adult life as well. Grakas was a solid man, built sturdier than a brick and sometimes twice as thick, short brown hair that had the same odd angular qualities that his hair exhibited. One of Grakas' features that Cloud remembered the most was the man's thick arms that attached to huge hands, hands that he had once thought belonged to a giant, especially from his lack of distance from the ground as a small child. His uncle would fold those tree trunks across the barreled chest whenever Grakas was displeased, fully expressing the small forest of dark hair on his uncle's arms and peaked out from the top of Grakas' shirt. Yet, despite his uncle's bulk, Grakas was forced to walk with a slightly limp after the uncle's years of service as a patrol guard landed him early retirement when an escaping criminal jammed a knife into Grakas' leg and nearly tore off his uncle's kneecap.  
  
Grakas was more often than not very intolerant with him, probably more jealous of Walian's ability to produce a boy than his uncle's four girls. His uncle would visit at least three times a week after his father had died, sometimes more if Grakas found the time and the will to order around what his grandparents called 'the future of the Strife line'. Unluckily for him, Grakas was often one to teach gruffly, with little to no tolerance for mistakes, and with only enough good sense to keep his voice down but his hands ready for what Grakas saw as well-needed discipline. And when Cloud had a bruised enough bottom where he could no longer sit down, Grakas would pat him on the head roughly and give him pointers that he would need to work on by the next time his uncle paid a visit, despite the fact that Cloud was bearly strong enough to hold the massive blade that was forced into his hands at every moment that his uncle could find. Luckily, his mother had a friend make a smooth piece of wood made for him so that he could practice properly and not fall over and become trapped under the weight of the blade in his hands.  
  
Yet, he had excelled under his uncle's often brutal and exhausting methods of forcing him to train almost continually. He had been able to beat Grakas by the age of ten, and by the age of twelve, he had first formulated and completed the Omnislash, his most complicated technique. He had often trained deep into the nights, sometimes swinging to sound of his uncle arguing with his mother.  
  
Of course, his mother had opposed the treatment from the very point that Grakas first proposed it, at his father's funeral. His mother had argued bitterly and forcefully that she would be dead before she allowed her only child to be subjected to such abuse. He knew from the day that Grakas forced his way into the house that his mother had somehow lost the fight against his father's family, and it was clear that his mother was painfully aware of this fact too. Yet, she continued to fight with Grakas until he was six where something seemed to change in her, and though she remained a very attentive mother to him, she grew very silent, as if the fight had suddenly left her. She would remain downstairs when Grakas would arrive and say little to his uncle, often ignoring the large man entirely. And when Grakas left the house in the evenings, she would just hold him close and rock him back and forth until he slept. He was certain that while he snuck into this training room he even heard her weeping alone and very sad. Somehow, he knew that his father's family had broken her, tamed her wild spirit, and caged her fury away.  
  
Back then, when he was old enough to understand just how skilled he was, he proposed openly to his mother alone when she sat staring out the window and knitting that he would be the best Royal Guard. He had watched a faint smile warm her lips at his determination and slowly nod her head before going back to her obviously mindless chore. He insisted though, sitting at her feet and leaning his head on her knees, hoping that she would stroke his untamable hair like she had when he was a child. He told her often that when he became a Royal Guard that they would move away where his father's family could not have contact with them, that his mother would have a new window that overlooked the sea just like she had always wanted. And she would smile warmly and say that she would like that very much, and he promised her that she would be free of the family.  
  
Well, his mother did get free of the family that placed claim over him as their future generation, but it was not in the manner that he had wished for her. His mother died shortly after growing ill, and he had not even been there to hold her as she died, too busy writing the needed applications for the various guard leagues. He had come home excited for the try-outs that he had been given, but he arrived home to silence, calling out his news to his mother as he slipped down the narrow hallway, careful not to damage the walls with the massive sword on his back. He arrived at her door just as Grakas stepped out into his path and shook his head. He had been brought crashing down when he peeked under his uncle's arm and seen the sheets pulled up over his mother's head, the common sign of death. He had stood there as Grakas had laid a hand on his shoulder before, for the first time in his life, he started screaming and tried desperately to get into his mother's room, to hold her, to make her smile, to assure her that everything would be fine.  
  
At his mother's funeral, which he had been allowed to attend, he had been the last to leave her side even as they started to shift dirt onto her beautifully haunting body. He had known that Grakas was standing nearby, but he was too numb with his loss to really care at the small intrusion. So, he had allowed his uncle to see him for what he was, the child who wanted to be a Royal Guard and save his mother, tears streaming down his face as he pulled the knife from his boot and cut free his warrior tail. He had set down on his knees and set the golden hair on her folded hands, bending to kiss her forehead one last time, promising her one last time that he would succeed and beat even General Sephiroth. He had touched the golden locks that he had placed on her one last time before telling her that she would forever have a touch of sunlight no matter how far they buried her; she had always called him her ray of sunlight and his hair was a sign of the fact that he was the sun that she loved so much.  
  
The next day, he stepped into the arena of the guards for his try-outs, still fresh with grief along with bitter loneliness and demanded to be allowed the ability to try for a place on the Royal Guards, despite the restriction that a man must be at least sixteen before making an attempt. Of course, they had laughed at him, but he had silenced them by smashing his opponents down by only using the blunt side of his sword with one hit. He faced off against Ricdak, one of the most skilled Royal Guards, in Lord Ansem's attempt to both test his skill and humiliate him. He had stood triumphant over the older man after subjecting Ricdak to his Omnislash and sending the man through a wall where Ricdak required medical attention, setting his sword onto his back again and awaiting the promotion that he deserved; he had not bled and sweat for fifteen years of his life to be denied now.  
  
Cloud shifted himself out of his memories as the walls around him rippled slightly. He quirked an eyebrow and tried to sense where Zax was, noting that the dark-haired man was giving him the space that he had asked for. He silently slipped down the stairs again and stepped out into the dusty streets, shutting the door behind him as he went. His eyes scanned for the reason to the ripple, not sensing his dark half trying to invade and attack him. Slowly, he turned around, eyes narrowing as a stronger ripple caused the nearby wall to bend in an unnatural manner before the ground at his feet began to tremble.  
  
His glowing eyes shifted to the sky, scanning until his attention fixed on a sudden black tear in the sky. For some reason, he was not terribly surprised when his obsessive rival stepped from the black crack, feeling his wing shifted against his back and become ready to allow him flight at any moment. He set his jaw tightly as the crack sealed itself over and the former General seemed to be assessing his dreamscape before their unnaturally gazes met as if they were drawn to one another. He set a hand on his sword as the silver-haired man drifted down to stand on the roof of a nearby house. "I've been looking for you."  
  
Sephiroth smirked in triumphant, despite being disappointed that he had not caught Cloud off-guard like in the previous dream. "You left yourself open for attack again, my beautiful canary. And here I am to stop your flight once more and claim what is already mine." He let his eyes crawl over the blonde purposefully, chuckling when Cloud's eyes hardened under his scrutiny. "What game shall we play today, General Strife? I have a few in mind, but I doubt you will agree to them unless I get you drunk and unarmed first."  
  
Cloud glared at Sephiroth and folded his arms across his chest stubbornly. "When I find you, I will be sure to put you back into the grave where you belong. You've haunted my footsteps for too long, and I'm tired of your shadow." He took a small step back to balance his weight as Sephiroth started to walk down to roof. "Tell me where you are, and we can settle this like men."  
  
"Right beside you, my beautiful canary. Your body is just as wonderful up close as it is from a distance, and I've made sure to have a taste of your sweetness." Sephiroth chuckled as the blonde's eyes suddenly widened with shock and stepped off of the edge of the roof, drifting down to stand directly in front of Cloud. "That's right, little one. I snuggle your sleeping body against me, content to win your mind before I take your body. Give in to me now and I will be sure to make you scream in pleasure instead of pain."  
  
"Never. I will never give in the likes of you!" Cloud snarled, trying to pull himself free of this dream, growling when all of his attempts failed.  
  
However, he was forced to let out a surprised cry when Sephiroth was suddenly against him, shoving him back against the faded door of his home. He struggled when the silver-haired man grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head, lifting a knee to force some distance between them, pulling his head back when Sephiroth move in to claim his lips. He felt a faint pang of fear as one of the former General's legs slipped between his own and the grip on his wrists tightened to hold him more securely. "Get your hands off of me!"  
  
Sephiroth smirked as the blonde struggled against him, forcing their bodies painfully close together. "Oh come now, my precious canary...don't knock what you haven't tried." He gathered the blonde's wrists in one hand as Cloud's muscles tensed, bringing his other hand down to snatch the blonde's quickly rising leg and holding it tightly, chuckling when Cloud snarled and struggled harder against his hold. "You writhe beautifully. I can't wait to run my hands over you..."  
  
"So, you plan to rape me then?!" Cloud nearly shouted, twisting his wrists in an attempt to pull them free.  
  
"Don't be silly, Cloud. Do I seem like the type to rape people?" At Cloud's skeptical look, Sephiroth lifted his knee slightly more into the blonde's groan. "No, my canary, I just have to wait you out. You will give in to me. It's all just a matter of time until you realize that I own you, and it is useless to resist me." He leaned closer just to insinuate his point, smirking when the blonde's head shifted back and cracked into the door to avoid being kissed.  
  
Cloud had nearly wriggled one of his hands free when the wood at his back suddenly creaked, and he knew that the door was sliding open. His gaze filled with the silver-haired man's cocky smirk as they both fell back in a heap, narrowly missing one of the wooden chairs. He shifted his weight as he hit the floor, pulling his wrist free and belting the former General across the face, now setting himself to wriggled out from beneath Sephiroth's weight as the silver-haired man seemed surprised over his punch. He managed to pull himself back and shoved Sephiroth back out the door with his feet braced against the General's shoulders, using the momentum to roll himself back to his own feet, despite the awkwardness of his sword on his back.  
  
Sephiroth slowly climbed to his feet and wiped his mouth the back of his hand, savouring the sweet taste of blood in his mouth, the first time in a long time since it had been his own. His cat-like eyes shifted over to where Cloud stood, letting his hand fall back to his side and clenched silently, feeling the leather around his hand as if it were a second skin to him. The wing at his shoulder shifted from resting to at attention, ready to allow him flight to capture his canary, wondering if Cloud too still had the false shadow clinging to the blonde. "How long do you believe that you can elude me? We can play this game for a long time, but it would be much better for both of us if you dropped the tough act."  
  
Cloud's eyes narrowed and his own wing slipped from underneath his cloak to stand at equal attention, evening out his balance considerably despite his venomous denials of the appendage. "I don't need to act anything out. This is who I am, and the sooner you realize that I will never allow myself to be caught by the likes of you, the better for both of us."  
  
Sephiroth purposefully laughed out loud instead of holding it in, much too amused with how childish Cloud sounded. He shook his head as the blonde fumed silently, noting that Cloud's hands were clenched, making the blonde look all the more like a small child determined to get his way. He leaned against the doorframe, gaze fixed on the blonde as he wrapped an arm around his own waist to calm his laughter. "My baby canary, you fume just like your mother."  
  
Cloud knew that he should be shocked about the General speaking of his mother, but he felt himself becoming angry instead. "Don't talk about my mother, you bastard!" He shouted, slammed the silver-haired man with his shoulder hard enough that Sephiroth only stayed planted against him because the former General grabbed him tightly. He wriggled to pull away again and growled when Sephiroth merely lifted him from the ground and was forced the stare the small distance between them.  
  
"A little touchy on that subject?" Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow as the blonde tried to pull free a hand to obviously punch him again. Obviously, Cloud was sensitive when it came to reference to Elecia, not that he was surprised too much by that fact. It was clear that the blonde held a kinship with the fury woman, one that was sorely missed by Cloud even now.  
  
He squeezed tighter when the blonde's wing swung out and sliced at him, bringing his own wing up to parry the blow away. He let his gaze meet with the icy pools that stared death down at him, forcing a smile onto his face. "You look so similar to your mother. You have her hair and eyes...that same wonderful death-glare." He was a bit surprised when the blonde stopped trying to do him bodily harm and merely scrutinized him thoroughly, as if trying to place his face to a distant memory.  
  
Cloud stared down into Sephiroth's face, somehow stunned by the older man's talk about his mother in a fashion that should probably worry him considerably. Yet, for him, his memories of his mother's talk when she thought him too young to comprehend her made him wonder if Sephiroth was speaking truthfully. He knew that Sephiroth had been head of the Royal Guards long before his birth, meaning that there was a ever so slight possibility that they...  
  
"You're him." Cloud breathed softly, surprised when Sephiroth placed him almost gently on his feet again, both still staring the distance between them. Tentatively, he reached up and touched the silver-haired man's cheek, seemingly suddenly entranced with the former General as he once had been as a young fifteen-year-old. He did not completely jerk his hand away when Sephiroth leaned into his touch, but he did take a step back as, for him, things seemed to snap into place. "You're the one...that she..."  
  
Sephiroth smiled and stepped up closer to the blonde, cupping the blonde's cheek in one hand, forcing their gazes to meet again. "You should have been mine. Now I must have you differently than I first desired." He reached out to grab Cloud when the blonde suddenly jerked away from him and started to back away quickly. He cocked his head to the side when Cloud seemed visibly confused, angry, and full of denial all at the same time. He stepped more into the room, following the blonde. "It's true, Cloud. I knew your mother."  
  
"No! Stop it!" Cloud swiveled away from Sephiroth and grabbed at his hair, shaking his head in denial. He simply could not and would not believe that the former General was possibly closer to him than just man-at-arms, that Sephiroth was more to his mother than even he was. He let out a small groan as he was about to be swallowed by his own denials, that no matter how much he wanted to believe that Sephiroth was playing with him again, he knew in the back of his mind, taunting, that there was no amount of alcohol that could wash away this knife in his consciousness. Sephiroth could be...  
  
Cloud felt a sickly calmness slip over him and his hands fell limply to his sides again. He didn't have to look over his shoulder to know that Sephiroth was watching him, studying his actions. He looked straight ahead of himself, making sure that his back remained turned to the silver-haired man. "You never came."  
  
Sephiroth cocked his head to the side, slightly weary of the blonde's calmness. "Never came? What do you mean by that?"  
  
"She waited for you, but you never came back. She would sit staring out the window and just wait...she would clench the blanket tightly when every sunset came and you never arrived." Cloud stared at the old chair where his mother used to sit, smiling bitterly at the memory of her lonely eyes. "Every day...for eleven years she waited for you to come, but you never did." He slowly turned to regard Sephiroth, avoiding the older man's intense stare. "Grakas said that she died because of pneumonia, but I knew better even then. You killed her..." Cloud looked at the floor, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails bit into the flesh of his palms. His head suddenly snapped up, and he stared hatefully into the eyes of his still enemy. "My mother died of a broken heart, and it was YOU that she was waiting for! You killed her! You made her leave me!" He stomped his foot when Sephiroth threatened to take a step towards him, stopping the former General. "She loved you more than she loved her own son! She would look at me with that empty eyes, smile that lonely smile, pat my head with those dead fingers...because she was saving her real touch for you!"  
  
"Cloud, stop." Sephiroth felt some of his insanity melt away at the blonde's obvious pain that was quickly descending into hysteria. He took a calm but tentative step towards the blonde, lifting his hands as Cloud skittered away from him. He knew that he would be able to take Cloud's mind, but he never imaged that he would break it in several places before hand. And he could see the emotions flashing through Cloud's cobalt eyes, every thought moving in and out like the waves on the sea. "What was between your mother and I...we both knew that it could never work. We split on equal terms, Cloud." He took another step towards the blonde, noting that Cloud remained in place staring at him. "She married Walian. She had you. There was no room for me."  
  
Cloud looked down at the floor, unable to look that Sephiroth any longer. "Grakas told me about you...after she died. My grandparents never knew that he did, but he told me while they buried her." He kicked at the dust on the floor as if he was confessing some sort of childish act, like getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "He told me that no one was certain of my birthright...just everyone had assumed that I was Walian's son. I looked like my mother so no one knew until she said something to Grakas...then...they all claimed that I had died during the night and kept me hidden away until I had grown up enough where they could see what kind of man I would become...whether I would have Walian's build...or...yours."  
  
Sephiroth nodded slowly, wanting to get Cloud's gaze back to him seeing as the blonde had gone very still again. "You should have been mine, but you are not. Walian is your true father, not me." He watched as the blonde slowly nodded, not certain if Cloud was actually listening anymore as the blonde started to kick at the floor again. "However, simply because I'm not your father..."  
  
"The darkness is taking me over." Cloud blurted out suddenly, not really thinking about what he was saying anymore. "The black veins are nearly at my shoulders and now run down my legs." He turned away from the former General and ran his still bleeding palms down his pant legs in a gesture of nervous tension. "When I close my eyes, it is all black. Mother used to sit with me until I fell asleep because I never wanted to sleep...to close my eyes...where the darkness lurked."  
  
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow, catching on where the blonde was going with the stray conversation. "Still afraid of the dark, Cloud?"  
  
"Still...?" Cloud looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth, their gazes meeting. "Always." He turned back to staring at random objects and gestured around him with his hands. "Look around you, General. Tell me what you see."  
  
Sephiroth wasn't sure if this was a trick question or not. "I see your house, chairs, dust...? Should I be seeing something in particular?"  
  
Cloud laughed softly, stopping when it made him sound a bit childish, or perhaps insane, he wasn't too sure which. He turned to regard Sephiroth, gesturing again at the place where they stood only a few meters apart. "This is my mind, my dreams. It's empty. There are no people here, except you and me now. I never dream of people, just places. Nothing but inanimate objects that serve to remind me what I truly am in this world."  
  
"And what are you, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked calmly.  
  
"Alone." Cloud replied, looking around the empty building before snorting in disgust.  
  
"I think you should sit down for a bit, Cloud. You are starting to make me look sane, and I'm not sure if I like that." Sephiroth walked over briskly to where Cloud stood, laying a heavy hand on the blonde's shoulder, quite surprised when Cloud stepped up to him and rested against him as a child might to a parent. "Sit with me, Cloud. Our little battling can continue later." He reached up and pulled off the blonde's red cloak, allowing the material to fall to the floor before pulling Cloud closer to his body, enjoying their sudden closeness. Slowly, he ran his hands down the blonde's mostly naked arms. "The darkness won't take you, little canary." He leaned down and kissed Cloud's ear lobe, resting his cheek next to the blonde's ear. "I won't let it take you."  
  
Cloud shivered involuntarily and didn't resist when the older man wrapped arms around his shoulders, sinking into the embrace. Within the confines of Sephiroth's arms, the loneliness retreated away and his need for strength along with it.  
  
Yet, the feeling did not last long as he turned his head to the side and his eyes wandered over his old house, finding it horribly empty. The room also seemed smaller, almost like it was slowly closing in around him. The dusty furniture seemed to be growing, or he was shrinking in size. And every shadow in the room seemed to hold a sinister feel to it, constantly shifting to more closer to him, long tendrils reaching out to touch any part of his body. And he began to hear whispers, soft but cold voices, murmuring only one word, the word that he feared and hated most of all. 'Weak'. Not even the embrace around him could shield him from the truth, and all the shadows leapt at him at once.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud sat quietly at his mother's feet, carelessly playing with the small coloured blocks all around him before putting one in his mouth. From beside him, he tapped his father's foot with another square block, looking up the huge distance between them. When his father smiled warmly, he giggled and dropped the block from his mouth, his attention quickly turning back to a blue block that was his favourite.  
  
He wasn't aware of too much except his own play toys, but his attention would every now and then move to where his two grandparents sat on the couch then to the big scary man who always patted him roughly on the head, making him fall over from his still wobbly legs. He knew that they were talking, like grown ups always did before dinner time, before his mother would give him something to attempt to put into his mouth but would more often than not end up being a new toy.  
  
He never really understood what was said, but he did understand tones. Right now, they were talking in quiet voices, meaning that it was about the scary man's missing wife who he had never seen, but he thought it might be one of the four girls who were sitting around the scary man's feet. Still, he recognized when the tone changed to lighter, meaning that they were most likely talking about his father or him. His grandparents loved to talk about him he quickly recognized, seeing as he knew to come when his name was called. So when his grandparents would talk in those light, happy tones then say his name, he would smile cutely and crawl over to them. Then his grandmother would lift him up and kiss him before bouncing him on her sharp knee.  
  
Since he could fully see around the room, he would point at his father and squeal, "Da!" before receiving another sloppy kiss for his word. So, he would repeat the word until his mother reached out to take him when the voices went low again and grandmother had to get up to check the meal. "Ma!" he would say, smiling when his mother beamed down at him before making an attempt to brush his unmanageable hair from his forehead. He would wrinkled his face, put his hands up in an attempt to push her hands away and cry "Ba!", meaning that she should stop. He remembered very little passed the odd encounters, finding them always pleasant and happy for everyone.  
  
But then the giant feet where his father would sit no longer appeared and his mother started to cry whenever they would visit. He was four when that started to happen, and his understanding of the situation had increased only as far as his attention span would allow. His mother's touches often became more urgent and tight, and he would often cry when she did. He could comprehend speech then, mostly so he no longer played with his blocks and just sat quietly at his mother's feet, glaring back at his glaring cousins occasionally.  
  
So he sat while the grown ups talked in those low voices, his grandmother sounding almost angry, with what, he didn't know. Yet, he noted that more glances were passed down to his portion of the floor before he began to see how they began to look at him differently. All but his mother's eyes seemed to harden and his grandparents would touch him as little as possible during those times. Yet, he could hear the obvious scorn in their voices, cold orders being given to his mother who would shake her head and reply with heat instead of cold. And his Uncle Grakas would look down at him, grin a toothy grin that made his uncle look like a wolf and often reach down to pick him up.  
  
He never protested, somewhat happy to be off of the floor away from those cold stares of disapproval. And his Uncle Grakas would wrap arms around his little waist and whisper things to him, all of which he became more and more aware made him want to cry. Such words as 'runt', 'whelp', 'weak bastard' were whispered almost gently across his ear as if they should be marks of compliments. He didn't know what a bastard was, but he knew what 'weak' was, and he didn't like it. Yet, he was forced to listen as those tree trunk arms held tight, and he would listen to those words every time that they visited until he would whimper and threaten and few tears that would immediately attract his mother's attention and her severe reprimands to Grakas.  
  
So, he learned very quickly to beg his mother that he didn't want to go, then he began to fake illness and even, after listening to Grakas during a day of sword training, he would fake injury too severe to allow him to go.  
  
His grandparents quickly caught on and began coming over to their house, making things even worse because he couldn't escape until they left. He supposed having his four older cousins making fun of him didn't help matters, but he grew under his mother's words of 'don't give them a reaction and they will leave you alone'.  
  
So, he remained quiet and drank it all in silently, eventually cursing his unruly hair, his scrawny arms, skinny white legs, and lithe waist that was no thicker than one of Grakas' arms. He became distinctly aware of how ill-proportioned his body was, that he was clumsy and could trip over his own feet at any point, that his hair looked like he had allowed it to dry while hanging upside down, that he appeared as though he might break in a vaguely stiff wind. And he had no one else to talk to that was his age seeing as his cousins would only speak with him to make mocking comments or call him names, so he often would choose to remain upstairs, alone where the hurtful words that he had already started to see for true would not come at him from all sides. He knew that he was a runt, that he was a half-orphan, that he was ridiculous looking.  
  
Yet, one thing that he hated being called most of all was weak. For a reason that he couldn't fully understand himself, he would also grow angered and stomp around yelling that he was not weak. He would spend time curled up rocking himself in a corner when the darkness wanted to swallow him like the night, always whispering that he was not weak and not afraid. He refused to be weak. He forced himself to swallow the bitter pill and jump to his feet just to prove that he was not weak even if he was still shaking at the knees. He would deny it until his family stopped saying it to him, more angered that they claimed it as the truth because of the blood that could be running through his veins. He never knew what that meant, and he never wanted to know. So, he practiced until he collapsed, forcing his body to the edge every day until his hands were raw, his fingers bleeding, his body straining to keep itself beneath him. He did it to prove them all wrong, to prove that he was not weak!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth reluctantly released his hold on the blonde when Cloud suddenly jerked out of his arms and stumbled back away from him. He allowed the younger man some space as the blonde started to mutter softly. "Sit, sweet canary." He cooed softly, reaching out to grab a chair when it became obvious that Cloud would make no motion to get one himself. When the blonde still refused to sit, he ran a hand through Cloud's hair in an attempt to calm the blonde's raging nerves. Perhaps he had revealed too much too soon, and Cloud was taking the information as well as could be expected.  
  
Cloud paced slightly before eventually forcing himself to stop, looking down at his hands that were smeared with quickly drying blood. "I'm not weak. I showed them...not weak." He tensed when a hand entered his hair but did not pull away, swaying slightly on his feet as the shadows seemed to stay just out of his reach. He looked up at Sephiroth before quickly slapping the former General's hand away from his hair, taking a few steps back to put some distance between them, his mind doubling back on previous thoughts. "It's all your fault." He said softly, gaze hardening considerably. "You killed her, made her go away. You killed Leokas. You chase me... in my dreams, in my reality, in my nightmares...You are my darkness."  
  
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow and smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He was in the mood to play Cloud's little blame game if it allowed him to get closer to the blonde. If Cloud thought him the darkness, he could use this false reality to pull the blonde from the real darkness. And if that game involved him pushing Cloud into anger, he could work with that. "If that is so, I will draw you into the darkness that I am." He took a menacing step towards the blonde when Cloud's eyes widened considerably. "I shall draw you into the nightmare that forever deprives you light, from which you will never awaken." His smirked broadened. "Where we will be together forever, just the way that I want you. No more games, Strife, you weak pathetic whelp of a man! Come and face me and be defeated!"  
  
~{Cloud, don't do it! He's letting the darkness in! Just run and I'll take care of him!}~ Zax screamed directly into the blonde's mind, racing down the dusty streets to end the confrontation that was quickly rending Cloud's dream and allowing the blonde's darker self entrance if this wasn't stopped.  
  
Cloud sighed heavily, and, instead of beating the silver-haired man into nothingness, he turned on his heel and ran for the nearest window, stopping when Sephiroth moved to intercept. He slowly backed up towards the still open door as the former General stalked towards him.  
  
And then he heard the flapping of wings, felt the wash of coldness in the doorway, and he simply knew even before Sephiroth opened his mouth to question the demonic creature. "Get away from here. You don't belong here."  
  
Sephiroth took a step to his left, allowing him a better look at the man that stood in the doorway, eyes narrowing as he came face-to-face with another Cloud, this one considerably more sinister looking with large demonic wings, demonic hands and fanged canines that made the other blonde have a constant predatory grin. He looked to his property when it now appeared that they had Cloud trapped between them. "Two of you?"  
  
'That's right, darling. Two who shall soon become one, then we would love to play with you.' The demonic Cloud grinned crookedly, crossing its arms across its chest as the other blonde turned to regard it. It briefly lifted a few fingers to wave mockingly before returning its attention back to Sephiroth. 'We must thank you, darling. Without your help, we doubt we would have made it in here so easily seeing as lovely's guardian is always skulking about. Luckily, you opened a door that we could use as well. Thank you, darling. We'll be sure to break you later.'  
  
Sephiroth quirked in eyebrow and glanced at Cloud who seemed to be watching the floor intently. Had he really allowed this other blonde in with him? He hadn't seen the demon on his way into Cloud's dream, but he had not really been looking for something like that. It was obvious that this demon was the element that Ansem spoke of, how Cloud seemed unable to fight back fully against the grinning demon. However, now that he had found the element that was dragging Cloud down, he would need to put an end to it. "What an interesting creature you are."  
  
The demon chuckled softly and ran a hand down its stomach and hips. 'We'll be sure to give you a bit of a test-drive before we smash you.'  
  
"Violent and sexual...a bad combination for a warrior." Sephiroth replied coolly, walking until he was beside Cloud, glancing down at the blonde to find Cloud still staring at the floor. He nudged the blonde with his elbow, jumping back when Cloud reacted immediately to his touch, slipping down as the blonde's sword aimed to smash into him. He noted that the demon was laughing maniacally and stepping into the house with them, eyes narrowing as the demon wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders. "Remove your hands from my property, demon."  
  
'Ah, ah, ah, darling, we get first dibs on this package.' The demon leaned down and kissed the other blonde on the cheek softly, gaze staying on the silver-haired man. 'You let us in, now you have to deal with both of us.' It snapped its fingers, calling an identical sword as Cloud to hand, smirking cruelly at Sephiroth. 'Lovely, what do you say we make him bleed, hmm? How about for mother?'  
  
"Yes, for mother." Cloud replied in a distant voice, the light slipping away from his eyes as if some force was dragging him back where he couldn't fight.  
  
Sephiroth glared at the demon and settled himself to strike either of the two blondes as they both approached, gaze shifting as yet another figure jumped into the doorway, a man that he had never seen before but somehow, he felt that he recognized him somehow. The demon also seemed to pay close attention to the spiky dark-haired man, leaving his Cloud open for an attack. Yet, he held off, not sure if the new edition to the house was on his side or not, though he thought so by the way the dark-haired warrior glared at him then glared at the demon more that the new edition was probably more inclined to help him.  
  
~{Cloud! No parties in your house!}~ Zax looked between the demonic Cloud and Sephiroth, feeling his face contort with dismay at the current situation. His glowing gaze shifted over to the silver-haired man briefly before sighing heavily as he leaned against the doorframe. ~{I can't believe I have to work with the cursed one! That's it, I'm demanding a raise for all the work that I do.}~ He lifted the buster sword in his hands as the demon flew at him, parrying the blow easily, his gaze shifting fully to Sephiroth, and he grinned foolishly. ~{Hi there, cursed one. If you don't want to die, I suggest you grab our good Cloud and run your little butt off while I take care of this creep. Oh, and don't stab me in the back...very painful, I must say.}~  
  
'So, the precious guardian will work with the cursed child? How foolish of you, guardian.' The demon sheathed as it pulled its sword back for another strike against the one creature that could resist it completely. 'We were just about to kill the cursed one for you. Why stop us?'  
  
Sephiroth wasted little while the two warriors faced off against each other, darting forward to grab his property. He wrestled Cloud's huge blade from the blonde's hands and smashed Cloud in the back of the head, hoping to knock the blonde unconscious. When Cloud only shook the blow off, he growled and seized the blonde by the shoulders, ready to drag Cloud from the house if need be.  
  
~{Hey, cursed one, didn't I just tell you to get him out of here? Are you hard of hearing or something?}~ Zax jumped out of the way as the demon leapt at him, slipping to the side to allow the demon out into the street again. He dodged another sword swing and grabbed the doorknob, closing the door to be polite. He glared when the demon's sword slammed into the brittle wood, knocking the door back open. He looked back at Sephiroth who was wrestling with Cloud. ~{And keep his clothes on!}~ He shut the door again before quickly opening it again, giving the silver-haired man a glare. ~{Keep your clothes on too!}~ He grabbed the demon and shoved the blonde out the door again, slamming it just for good measure.  
  
As soon as the demon slipped from the room, Cloud felt the darkness recede from his consciousness just in time to have Sephiroth tackle him to the floor again. He used the older man's momentum to roll onto his shoulders, throwing Sephiroth off before rolling back to his feet. He rubbed his winged shoulder as the silver-haired man drew the Masamune, looking around for his own weapon. He noted that it was across the room from his current position and decided that it would be best if he escaped before his demonic self re-entered the room.  
  
Sephiroth was surprised when Cloud tore through the nearby window and took off away from him, resheathing his blade to pursue the blonde. It was clear from the light that had returned to Cloud's eyes that the blonde was back in control, but Cloud looked confused as to the current situation. He stopped at the window as Cloud flipped over the tall fence, shaking his head. "This could get interesting. The two Generals of Ansem's army battling again. It should be turned into an epic story for the younger generation to read about. How General Sephiroth captured his beautiful canary."  
  
Cloud immediately set himself into a sprint the moment his feet touched the ground, twisting down narrow alleys that he knew exactly where it would take him. He ducked stray boards that hung down and was aware of a shadow trailing him, probably not gaining but pursuing nonetheless. When he felt Sephiroth teleport in behind him, he twisted away from the former General's hand and run through a random house, bolting down run-down hallways before tearing out of another window, the glass shards cutting into the flesh of his arms and nicking his cheeks. Still, he forced himself onwards, wishing that he had his sword again.  
  
Sephiroth trailed back as he heard an explosion some distance away, stopping when the ground beneath his feet shuddered. He looked around, gaze falling on a few toppling buildings that seemed much too close for his comfort, his gaze shifting back to his property just as Cloud dashed down a side alley. He looked at the house next to him and leapt to the roof easily, taking off to head the blonde off before Cloud could either find a weapon against him or Cloud's little demon found them. Of course, he found the chase the most exciting part, seeing as he had nearly forgotten how fast Cloud could move, the blonde easily one of the fastest men in the Royal Guards.  
  
Cloud glanced back over his shoulder to find that Sephiroth was no longer pursuing him, but he simply knew that because he could not see the General didn't mean that the silver-haired man had given up. He glanced up as a strange shadow shifted in front of him, growling to find Sephiroth following from the rooftops now, making it more difficult for him to outrun the older man. He ducked into a familiar store, slamming the door shut behind him as he took off for the back of the building, letting out a small cry when the door blew from its hinges, sending chucks of wood around the room. He slipped into a side room, hoping that he avoided detection before looking around in dismay as he found himself in a windowless room.  
  
He shifted behind some rotting crates and began to pick shards of glass from his arms, noting that not all the blood that leaked from the wounds was red, that black streaks interlaced with his normal blood colour. Yet, he looked around the room, looking for any point of escape if the General happened to see him enter this room. He quickly noted that the door was the only clean escape, but he could probably jump through the small hole in the roof, not fully large enough for him to fit.  
  
He ducked more behind the foul smelling crates as hard boots seemed to know that he was trapped, the silver-haired man obviously taking a painful amount of time to find him. He heard the door to the room swing open and heard a few brief steps into the room before the door creaked shut again. Cloud knew that the General was in the room with him and looked back up at the ceiling, wondering if scratching up his already battered arms was such a good idea. Still, he needed to escape and quickly so he grabbed one of the bottom crates and lifted, tossing several at the General who immediately started to cut through them, giving him a limited amount of time to escape. He looked at the hole and sighed heavily, jumping the distance, grabbing the rotting edge and began to pull himself through the hole to the next level.  
  
Sephiroth dodged the last crate instead of cutting through it, shifting his weight as he moved so that he skidded to a halt just beneath the blonde. He reached up and grabbed Cloud's pant leg, smirking when the blonde attempted to kick him and grabbed Cloud's ankle instead. He gave the appendage a good pull, quirking an eyebrow when the blonde did not fall back into the room, instead Cloud pulled harder to scrambled through the hole that was obviously doing some damage to the blonde's body, though he was well-aware that Cloud was the self-sacrificing type.  
  
He tightened his hold on the blonde's leg, not to pull Cloud back down but to hold the blonde from making anymore progress. He shifted his sword and jammed it through the roof, chuckling when Cloud gasped and jerked back. His sword cut quickly, bringing down a quarter of the roof, allow with the blonde, who he decided to catch in his arms instead of letting the blonde fall and get more injured. As soon as Cloud landed in his arms, he teleported to the other side of the room to avoid the roof collapsing down, calling his sword back to his side. He noted that Cloud was bleeding and 'tsk'ed softly. "Always so self-sacrificing, my canary. I doubt you even know why you are running from me."  
  
Cloud pushed himself out of Sephiroth's arms and stood again, growling softly when the silver-haired man's arms slipped around his waist instead. "Hands off, General." He ordered firmly, not surprised when Sephiroth paid little to no attention to him. He grabbed the silver-haired man's wrists and tried to pry the older man's arms off of him, sighing in irritation when Sephiroth chuckled in his ear. He quickly silenced the silver-haired man by slapping Sephiroth with his wing. "Release me and I won't hurt you."  
  
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow and tightened his hold on the blonde. "I see the tough man act is back into place. I suppose that I will have to really work this time to make you have an emotional breakdown, but..." He leaned forward so that his lips were beside Cloud's ear. "...it can be done, my little canary."  
  
Cloud glanced back at Sephiroth, noting the older man's cool confidence in their current situation. Without a word, he relaxed, turning his face away again to stare at the opposite wall as Sephiroth slipped closer to him. He half-smiled when the silver-haired man's arms loosened around his waist, suddenly twisting in the older man's grip so that he was now facing Sephiroth, smashing his fist into the older man's cheek. "Act or no act, I'll still waste you." He pulled his fist back again, eyes narrowing as his waist was released and his wrists were seized tightly.  
  
Sephiroth growled as his hold on the blonde was not as tight and controlling as he wanted it to be thanks to the blood that made Cloud's flesh slippery. So, he struggled roughly with the blonde, hoping to pin Cloud to the floor if he could ever trip the blonde up. However, Cloud appeared to want to be difficult today so he merely ended up forcing the blonde up against the nearest wall, and he growled when Cloud managed to punch him again, sighing as he licked the blood that slipped from his broken lip.  
  
He took a step back and released his hold on the blonde, raising his own fist as the Cloud's eyes narrowed. He wasn't surprised when the blonde stepped from the wall and took his punch seeing as they had been reduced to exchanging punching on several sparring occasions. So, he remained in place when Cloud's fist flew at him again, exchanging the blow for one of his own. He smirked when the blonde's head snapped away with the heavy blow and took Cloud's next punch as he always did before again exchanging it for one of his own.  
  
Cloud knew that he was bleeding, but he refused to give in. He also knew that their often stubborn punching exchanges could last for quite some time given both of their stamina. So, he stood his ground while he exchanged blows with Sephiroth until the silver-haired man smashed him in the temple. He reeled back a step as blood began to flow down the side of his face, his gaze swinging around to glare Sephiroth who was watching him coolly. He immediately retaliated, swinging his fist out to catch the silver-haired man in the nose while taking a step forward. He knew that the older man would deflect his punch, but he smirked when Sephiroth's eyes widened as he suddenly raised his knee.  
  
He didn't wait as he dropped the former General with his rather low-blow, leaping over the taller man towards the significant hole in the ceiling. He looked back at his wing and glared at the appendage before finally admitting that it would be the best way to get the hole in the roof of the building. He wiped blood from his chin as he leapt into the air and soared through the hole, coming out to hover above the Fourth District, looking around for any sign of Zax.  
  
His glowing gaze scanned the horizon, but aside from the collapsed buildings and the plumes of smoke, he could see no sign of his friend. He wiped more blood from his chin and winced as the cut on his temple continued to ooze blood down the side of his face, his gaze still moving around the horizon. "Zax..."  
  
"You should be watching your back, Strife!" Sephiroth growled as he teleported in behind the blonde and slammed his fists into Cloud's back, putting all of his power into the hit so that the blonde dropped from the sky. He watched in satisfaction as Cloud crashed heavily back through the roof of the building they had been in previously, silently floating back down in time to watch the blonde struggling to stand again. He walked over and kicked the younger man in the midsection, sending the blonde back to the ground. When Cloud attempted to stand again, he put a restraining foot on the blonde's chest and smirked. "I suggest you stay down, little canary. At this rate, you may fall unconscious from blood loss, meaning that I have all the time in the world to...capture you."  
  
Cloud tried to wet his throat and lips again, wincing as the stray wood pieces continued to jam into his flesh painfully. The wounds on his arms had reopened as well as his bleeding lips and temple, but all of his wounds were covered in dust and dirt from his unceremonious fall back into the building. He did not resist when Sephiroth pulled him back to his feet and pushed him up against the near wall.  
  
He wished that he had his sword again, blinking when the sturdy piece of metal materialized in his hand. He looked down at the sword in his hand in slight disbelief before coming around to a rather obvious realization that he had failed to pick up on. This was his dream, meaning that he should be able to have control over what happened for the most part. He tightened his grip on the blade and wished that Sephiroth was no longer here with him, that he would wake up.  
  
Sephiroth looked around as a rough rumbling was heard around him, looking back at Cloud to see the blonde concentrating. He looked at his hands, eyes narrowing as he slowly began to appear translucent, noting that he was slowly being forced from Cloud's dream. He made a grab for the blonde, cursing when his hands passed innocently through the younger man's form. "You will be mine, Cloud. Sooner or later, you will be forced to admit defeat to me...."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sephiroth stood quietly in the darkness, hands clenching at his sides every so often as his mind played over the events that had lead him to this path. He had never imagined Cloud, who was so strong and hardy, to be dragged down by a past that no one was aware of except for those involved in the blonde's pain. He now realized just how quickly Cloud was slipping away, that all of the blonde's strength had been drained away over long years of fighting, struggling, and running from Cloud's worst fears.  
  
He was wise to the blonde's pain, though, having suffered much of the same himself over his years in the royal court as a bastard child. However, Cloud seemed to protect the past so closely that he could not fully understand what kind of life that driven the blonde to push so hard to be the best, to remain distant, to fail to be a man by not growing from a child. He had not suffered emotional stunting because his father would hear nothing of it, instead raised him as a warrior who would protect the nation. His job required maturity, so he now failed to understand how Cloud had made it so far just faking maturity. Well, he was wrong that the blonde was not mature for Cloud was a very good man-at-arms, but take away all of the duties of a guard and give Cloud a situation requiring a emotional response, and Sephiroth was not certain if the blonde would be able to handle it.  
  
Now, as he stood in the darkness outside of Cloud's dream, he wondered what the blonde intended to do once their epic battle ended, where Cloud would go once one of them was dead. If the blonde won their battle, what would Cloud do with himself from now on? What would the blonde busy himself doing after Cloud returned to the planet?  
  
He looked around himself, smiling when an image of the blonde appeared before him. He reached a hand towards Cloud, whose eyes seemed to portray all the loneliness that he had only caught a brief glimpse of. He studied Cloud intently, seeing every small sign of the blonde's true emotional state slowly making its way to the surface.  
  
He quickly came to realize that his little canary was not actually flying freely. No, the little yellow bird was fleeing for its very life, chased down by the dark shadow of the past. His canary had already felt the cold swipe of talons on its beautiful wings, but it was struggling to keep flight from that giant black bird that tormented it at every turn, driving the little bird back on itself in endless circles. And his canary was tiring, its yellow wings faltering, forcing the bird to slowly descend into the endless darkness where it would surely be consumed by the larger bird that followed and forced his canary forward, driving it to exhaustion where it would meets its end. His beautiful canary was desperate to stop flying...  
  
"I've been wrong all this time, Cloud." Sephiroth looked at the blonde in front of him and folded his hands behind his back. His forehead creased with worry as the blonde's legs began to be swallowed by shadows. "You're not the one that I wish to cage. If your little wings are allowed to rest, you will fly for me, and you will return to me every time I call your name." His gaze settled on the shadow that was now at the blonde's knees. "I must cage your fear and clip its wings. Only my arms shall be your cage..."  
  
Sephiroth felt his eyes narrow as the demonic blonde suddenly appeared next to his Cloud, except the demon looked angry as it looked off to the distance. He watched the demon walk away from the normal blonde that began to fade from before him. His gaze switched back to the demon who stopped and suddenly had a sword in hand, its voice full of anger and hate. 'We hate this place! We will rule this world and make them feel our pain...our loneliness! The world must suffer as we have, and we will bath in the blood of those that hurt us!' The demon began to swing the sword wildly as if attacking an invisible enemy. 'Make them bleed! Make them hurt! Make them feel our pain! We will kill them to let them see...to let them feel the loneliness of a thousand years and a thousand more after that!'  
  
Sephiroth felt suddenly sorry for the demon, the true manifestation of part of Cloud's pain, the part that wanted revenge. It was obvious that the darkness had created this demon to manipulate Cloud into falling by twisting the blonde's emotions that only the darkness knew. It was driving Cloud towards an inescapable, lonely end that the blonde seemed to be mostly blinded to. Because Cloud turned his back on the past pain and hid it from sight, he allowed the darkness to grab hold of those memories and create an angry, spiteful Cloud that it would control completely.  
  
He felt a sudden warmth wash over his back and swiveled to regard the source, his breath catching in his throat as he found himself staring at yet another Cloud, this one considerable different from the demon. He took a step towards the other Cloud, beckoned by something within himself that he could not explain.  
  
The blonde before him was indeed Cloud, but the blonde locks not cascaded down Cloud's back and slowly shifted into silver down to the blonde's knees. From the new Cloud's back sprung seven wings, only the left shoulder missing a wing, from the demonic wing Sephiroth thought. However, unlike any wings that he had seen, these were ethereal in every manner, created from the same material that he had seen in the pit that Ansem had showed him, the life force of the planet. Around the blonde's lightly tanned waist was a white half-robe that flowed to the blonde's ankles and exenterated every line and curve of Cloud's muscular body beautifully. The blonde's skin glowed softly, and Cloud's eyes seemed to link the blonde with the planet, deep cobalt pools swirling with the voices of many and a wisdom beyond Cloud's years. In Cloud's hand, a sword that shimmered with planetary energy rested against the black ground.  
  
Sephiroth had a bit of trouble swallowing as the blonde's eyes seemed to see him, a small smile playing over those wondrous lips. "Cloud? What...are you?"  
  
The blonde angel's smile broadened. 'Your heart will tell you.' The voice was soft and almost musical, but highly attractive, bringing all attention around the blonde.  
  
Sephiroth blinked when Cloud suddenly disappeared from in front of him, somewhat disappointed as his eyes scanned in an attempt to catch one more glimpse of the angel. He turned when again there was another warmth at his back, finding himself staring at both Clouds, one demonic and one angelic. "Light and darkness...?"  
  
'We will kill them for our pain.' The demon said coldly, staring at the other.  
  
'We will die to give them freedom.' The angelic Cloud replied softly, smiling warmly at the demon who merely scowled back. 'We will fight until our last breath to bring happiness and order back to what has been taken away by the darkness. In our loneliness, we shall grant freedom to everyone else. If we make the greatest sacrifice, are we not right?'  
  
The demon snarled angrily. 'Why can't we be selfish for once? Why must we live for everyone but ourselves? What has the world done for us to make us happy?'  
  
There was a pause from the angelic form before a small smile, a sad smile, appeared. 'We were created to live for everyone but ourselves. We should do what is right and save the planet and bring back the happiness that is desired.'  
  
The demon seemed more angered by these words and seized the other by the shoulder roughly. 'And when happiness and love is restored to the planet, what about us? After all is said and done, they will still hate us...still leave us alone! We should take what we can and run!'  
  
'But we are already running.' The angel chuckled musically when the demon opened its mouth to respond heatedly but closed its mouth again. 'Our light...'  
  
'Is a tainted thing! We cannot put any hope in that creature! In his insanity, he will never see us...only wish to claim us...cage us...make us hurt more!' The demon shoved the other back, drawing its sword and pointing it at the angel's chest. 'If we kill the tainted light, we will not be hurt!'  
  
The angel gently shrugged its shoulders and its expression turned very sad as it turned away from the other. The angelic form looked directly at Sephiroth, sad eyes expressing more than could be put into words. 'You're wrong. The light is opening his eyes, and he is beginning to see us. He wishes to wash away our pain, our loneliness...we just have to let him in.'  
  
'Never! We are strong, and we will destroy those who wish to harm us!' The demon screamed, swinging its sword in a wide arch of anger. It stalked towards the angel who disappeared in an array of green wisps that shifted off into the darkness. 'We will not be hurt anymore.' The demon snarled as it melted away into shadow.  
  
'Believe.' A soft voice replied from the endless darkness.  
  
Sephiroth let his eyes go to his feet as he was left to his own devices to leave the blonde's mind that seemed to have two elements warring silently where Cloud was unaware. He slowly started to walk towards where he could slip back into his own body, but stopped when he felt a presence suddenly behind him, glancing over his shoulder to find the dark-haired man who had chased off the demon leaning against thin air. "You."  
  
Zax slowly nodded his head, unfolding his arms as he pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning against. ~{So, you can see me. I thought as much, especially considering who you are.}~ He looked around the darkness around them and walked a few steps towards Sephiroth. ~{I don't have much time, but right now, you are the only thing that I can vaguely count on to do something the Cloud will respond to.}~  
  
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and sighed as he turned to regard the dark-haired man fully. "Should I assume that being able to see you some large feat that not many can achieve?"  
  
~{Heh, don't falter yourself, Seph. Everyone can see me in dreams.}~ Zax folded his arms behind his head and met the silver-haired man's gaze. ~{But that's not why I've taken a jaunt out to visit you. I'm here because of Cloud...so I'll speak plainly.}~ He looked around again, making sure that they were alone before turning his attention back to Sephiroth. ~{You have to save him.}~  
  
"Save him? From the darkness?" Sephiroth asked, lifting his chin to find glowing eyes watching him closely, probably from a lack of trust by the dark-haired man. "I will claim him."  
  
Zax shook his head softly, fully aware that the planet was becoming quickly aware of his presence with Sephiroth. ~{If you claim him, you'll destroy him.}~ He replied, gaze locking with the suddenly uncertain green eyes of Sephiroth. ~{I can't get through to him anymore. He's closed off to me because the darkness is there, and every time I try to help him, the darkness takes over. Because of that, you are the only other element in his life that he may listen to.}~  
  
Sephiroth folded his arm across his chest and looked around, feeling as though he was being watched closely by many eyes that he could not see in return. "You sound unsure...guardian, as you were called by the demon."  
  
~{The name's Zax, since we'll be kind of, sort of, not really working together.}~ Zax grinned when Sephiroth merely quirked an eyebrow at him. His expression quickly turned serious. ~{And of course I'm unsure about you...you're the cursed one...tainted by your own foolishness.}~  
  
"I've killed for less so watch your mouth, boy." Sephiroth growled back.  
  
Zax chuckled softly and shrugged his shoulders. ~{If I could die, that threat would mean something to me...}~ He walked up and grabbed Sephiroth's collar, pulling their faces close together. ~{You're in my realm right now, and considering I have thousands of voices wanting me to rip you apart for even threatening harm on Cloud...don't cross me.}~ Again, Zax grinned and took a step back, this time the cheerful expression staying on his youthful features. ~{But again, that's not why I'm here. Cloud is my priority. He always has been.}~  
  
Sephiroth slowly nodded, quickly coming to realize that the dark-haired man was probably an element of the planet that sought to protect Cloud, the strong heart. He never realized just how powerful the planet could be to create such a being to move beside the blonde and instruct Cloud. Certainly, he would need to watch himself around this man because Zax was probably not lying about the thousand voices wanting to kill him. His first encounter with the planet had spoken volumes on how the planet felt about him.  
  
So, he remained cool and calm, willing to negotiate with Zax if it meant getting closer to Cloud. "So, how I am supposed to help Cloud if you cannot? It seems to me that the planet should be able to protect him better than I can, or am I wrong?"  
  
~{Well, we can only do so much. We can't force Cloud to return to us, only encourage him on the right way to go.}~ Zax shrugged his shoulders slightly. ~{But...the kid is stubborn, and he won't let you get away with chasing him anymore. He wants to see you again, three parts to smash your face in, one part because he feels connected to you.}~ He scratched his head and chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly as he thought about how crazy it was to be speaking to Sephiroth in the first place. ~{Of course, your connection will become more clear the closer you get to him...kind of weird how your taint works....}~  
  
"What are you talking about?" Sephiroth demanded, glaring at the dark-haired man.  
  
~{Have you ever noticed that you are highly protective of him?}~ Zax didn't need for the silver-haired man to respond, the dull obsessive expression speaking more than a few volumes. ~{Right...Anyway, you get all freaked out and nasty around him when you first get what you want...kind of touchy feely too...}~ He cringed before looking back at Sephiroth. ~{However, once you settle down, ever notice that you can think clearly?}~  
  
Sephiroth folded his arms across his chest and took a moment to think, coming to the quick conclusion that yes, when he managed to get Cloud alone with him and the blonde responding to him, he could think about something other than Cloud for long periods of time. He slowly lifted his eyes to Zax again. "I suppose that I do, but only when I have Cloud alone."  
  
Zax again shrugged. ~{You two are connected no matter what anyone says.}~ He looked around as he found the planet watching his every move, ready to grab him for a tongue-lashing if he spoke out of line. ~{Look, you are the only one that gets a reaction in a similar fashion that I do. I need you to help me get him back to Hollow Bastion, meaning that if you two fight, you have to lose.}~  
  
"Lose?" Sephiroth rolled back on his heels and glared at the dark-haired man. "I will fight Cloud like I swore to himself that I would. We have not danced in such a way since my death fifteen years ago." He crossed his arms stubbornly. "I won't give up on a chance to entice him into battle once more."  
  
~{So, you will sentence him and everyone else to death!? For what, a stupid meaningless fight that Cloud will probably win anyway!}~ Zax stalked up to the silver-haired man and grabbed Sephiroth by the collar again. ~{We will see you dead before we allow you to throw away all those lives! Cloud must return to Hollow Bastion, and right now, you are the only thing standing in our way of getting him to return.}~ He smirked when Sephiroth's sword passed innocently through his body, his hold tightening on the leather in his hands. ~{If you won't help us, you are an element that must be removed. In this place, it is very easy to do, cursed one. We let your soul move to another world because we were trying to save Cloud's life, but we will not make that mistake twice.}~  
  
Sephiroth raised his hands in the air, not wishing to be destroyed just yet. "Before you kill me, at least tell me whom that other Cloud was, the glowing one."  
  
Zax felt his grip on the silver-haired man loosen considerably, and he sighed heavily, sounding suddenly very tired. ~{He is the planet's ultimate guardian, a force with a connection directly to the Lifestream to use as he sees fit. He...is what Cloud was initially intended to be, but...}~  
  
"But?" Sephiroth asked quietly.  
  
~{There was a problem since the darkness came, and we could not place him on the planet as we had wanted. He...was forced to life as a mortal, but his mortal life was a cruel one...}~ Zax released his hold on Sephiroth entirely and turned his back to the silver-haired man, again sighing as if under considerable strain. ~{I was created to be his friend, to help him grow and follow the path intended for him. I did what I could, but he...had already felt too much pain to fully more passed what had happened to him. He was alone for too long that he lost the planet's call...We tried desperately to help him, but Cloud was...damaged because of his heightened innocence put upon him by the planet.}~  
  
Sephiroth sighed softly and looked away. "Cloud was never intended to be a mortal child then. He was intended to be that beautiful creature."  
  
Zax slowly nodded. ~{Everything has changed since your father first experimented on the darkness...the future is uncertain.}~ He turned to regard the silver-haired man. ~{That beautiful creature is Cloud...it lives, but it is buried so deep that I doubt that Cloud even knows that it is there anymore. I can't reach it anymore because of my distance from the planet, but I saw it...I felt it...when you...}~  
  
"When I what?" Sephiroth questioned.  
  
~{When you got him upset...for a moment when your arms were around him, I felt it. He was coming back to life, all the darkness pushed away...but then he was consumed by it again.}~ Zax slowly forced a cheerful grin on his face and gestured at Sephiroth. ~{Look pops, my time is up.}~  
  
Sephiroth cocked his head to side. "You haven't told me what it is you want me to do with Strife."  
  
Zax chuckled and brushed a stray piece of hair from his face. ~{Be his friend. If not that, you'll have to think of something, pops.}~ He raised a finger in warning at the silver-haired man. ~{Don't you hurt him. Cloud is my friend so if you hurt him....}~  
  
"I'm sure I'll feel the pain and suffering that is indescribable in every language known to mankind." Sephiroth replied dryly.  
  
~{Hey, I like your style. You catch on real quick.}~ Zax winked and turned away from Sephiroth, hearing the slightly displeased murmurs of the planet in his mind. Ignoring the planet, he raised a hand. ~{Ta ta, pops. Watch the first step, it's a doozy.}~  
  
"First step?" Sephiroth shook his head and started to walk away, however, his first step did in fact sent him careening back to his body faster than he could react. His eyes snapped open and he sat up, gaze shifting around to find himself still in Cloud's room with the blonde tucked beside him. He clenched his fist tightly. "I'm not sure if I should kill that brat or not..."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Okay, horrible ending...I know. I felt to need to throw in some Zax humour though, and Sephiroth was the only close recipient. There were a few elements that I happy with in that chapter.  
  
Cloud is showing a bit of his hidden character. Everyone needs to write a bit of an emotional Cloud sometimes, but don't worry, he will be in kick-ass shape once more. Yeah, he's got to beat the snot out of Hercules soon! Not sure if that will be next chapter or not. I got to lighten up the fic a bit so Zax will probably be hanging around being a joker.  
  
Not sure what Sephiroth will be doing, but I'm sure he'll be obsessing somewhere, trying to figure out a cracked up plan of clipping wings and hugging canaries. Who knew he liked little yellow birds? Maybe I'll give him one that he can call Cloud? Nah, that would be creepy. 


	12. Continuing Darkness

Darkness Rising By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
HOLY CRAP! AN UPDATE! SORRY FOR THE WAIT! ENJOY!  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: ' indicates a dream-like voice, and indicates the speech of Zax 'cause...well, only Cloud can usually see and hear him.  
  
AUTHOR'S WARNING: This fic has been bumped up to a yaoi pairing between Sephiroth and Cloud. You have been warned so proceed at your own risk. So far, it is merely some shounen-ai, but it might turn a bit more in later chapters.  
  
Chapter 11 - Continued Darkness  
  
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Maniacal laughter echoed throughout the streets of Traverse Town, stirring all of the Heartless in the area to look up at the sound of one of their own. Feelers twitched as a straggled cry of pain followed after the laughter, black heads cocking to the side as the weakened cry was brutally cut short and silence reigned in afterwards. The Heartless were aware of the departing of a heart from the planet, convinced with their small minds that whatever was killing every creature in the town was much more powerful than any of them. To them, it was a good thought to have.  
  
Another scream rang out, this one shrill and full of disbelief, a female's voice. "Why...?! How...how could you do..." The question was cut off with the sound of a sword cutting through the air then the body of cold dead flesh hitting the stone floor. And the silence returned.  
  
And she stood in fear, unsure of what enemy had entered her beloved town and suddenly turned against the town's people. She felt her knees shake slightly as the flowers in her hand felt suddenly too out of place in the silence of the blood around her. The small blade in her other hand would be wielded clumsily for she had never wanted to learn to fight or kill another being. She knew that she would fall just like everyone else, and she suddenly feared that she was cursed to repeat the same fate as she almost had in Hollow Bastion as a child. Her eyes betrayed her fear of being the only one left in the town. "It's just like Hollow Bastion...I'm always left last..."  
  
She pulled the blade closer to her body and the flowers suddenly slipped from her fingers as the sound of heavy yet casual footfalls began to make their way in her direction as if certain of where she stood. She remained standing beside the door of the First District, too aware that there was no where to run, that she would die to whatever creature had invaded Traverse Town. And the time seemed to stand still, the fall of feet much too in time with her heart beat, wanting nothing more than to wrap arms around herself and call for help that would never come for her. So, she stood, her knees bouncing against one another, her naked shoulders sagging as she looked down at herself, covered in too much blood to really recognize her favourite dress anymore. And the knife still seemed too out of place in her hands.  
  
"I can smell your fear, sweetheart. I can hear your heart racing. I can see your body shaking. Does it please you that I take joy from your patheticness?" A cold, sinister voice spoke calmly, a cruel smile set upon elegant features of a twenty-one year old.  
  
Aerith felt her gaze lift to where the voice had spoken, feeling her body grow cold at the sight of a man shrouded in shadow, four demonic wings that were so obviously made from the shadow that it made her feel ill. She tightened her grip on the small blade as glowing blue eyes slowly opened to regard her from the shadow of the rooftop. She took a step back when the Heartless jumped from the roof and landed gracefully in front of her, a small whimper escaping her at the intense smell of blood. Memories of dead guards and towns people threatened to consume her, but she forced them down in order to look her murderer in the face. She would be brave, just like Cloud had taught her.  
  
Yet, as the man slowly climbed to his full height and the shadows pulled back from his elegant features, the blade in her hands was suddenly lazily falling, clattering noisily to the ground as Aerith found herself staring up at Cloud Strife, her adoptive father, her savior, her friend. "Cloud...?"  
  
Cloud smirked cruelly and folded his wings against his back, reaching out a hand to brush the brunette's hair from her eyes. His smirked turned fond as she began to shake her head, slowly nodding his own to contradict her denial. He brushed away the tears that slipped from her eyes with a demonic finger. "Shh, there is no need to cry, sweetheart. I brought you a present, just like I always do when I come for a visit."  
  
"A...present?" Aerith slowly shook her head, disbelief still shining in her eyes. All she could think was that this was a horrible nightmare, and it had not actually been her Cloud that had caused the death of all of her friends in Traverse Town. No, Cloud was much too nice and she felt that she had vaguely betrayed her trust in him in thinking that he might be capable of such vile acts.  
  
"Oh yes, a very nice present, sweetheart. Hold out your hands just like always and close your eyes. Everything is alright if I'm near." Cloud chuckled softly when Aerith reluctantly did as she was told, slipping around the brunette and ran one hand down the length of her arm, causing Aerith to shiver slightly as his fingers left a trail of blood.  
  
Slowly, he rested his chin on her naked shoulder and placed his wet gift in the young woman's hands. "Before you open your eyes, I think you should know something. It will add meaning to this gift." He smirked cruelly when she slowly nodded, indicating that she was listening. "Leon always wanted to have your heart, sweetheart." He pulled away and shifted so that he was facing the brunette. "But now you have his instead."  
  
Aerith slowly opened her eyes, staring down at the blonde's gift to her. At first, she was confused, eyes following the trailing drops of blood that ran between her fingers. And when the tears flowed down her cheeks, she raised her eyes and choked on a sob of grief, her gaze meeting with Cloud's glowing blue eyes. "No...No, not Leon..."  
  
Perhaps he had heard the crack as much as she did. Perhaps the horrible gift in her hands that still carried a sickly warmth to it had suddenly turned into a beautiful thing. Of course, Cloud would never give her a gift that she was not meant to like. This was obviously one of those abstract gifts that grew on a person over time. She admitted that she was already beginning to like it as she ran her fingers over the smooth muscle. "Cloud...it's...a wonderful gift."  
  
Cloud stepped up to the brunette and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling their bodies close. "I knew you would like it, sweetheart. I ripped it still beating from his chest just for you." He placed a gentle kiss on the top of Aerith's head as the brunette disintegrated into sobs, casually calling his sword to hand and lifting it above his head. "Relish the pain. It lets you know that you are still alive." He brought his sword down, smiling at the sound of ripping flesh...  
  
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Sephiroth flew upright in bed, breathing heavily until he forced himself calm again. He sighed and rubbed his face with a hand, wiping away the sweat from his forehead. He was beginning to grow weary of the dreams that were constantly plaguing him.  
  
All of his attempts to reach back into Cloud's sleeping mind had ended with failure and him being shown various images of death and carnage. Such images did not bother him in the least since he had done just as bad in his time; rather, he was frustrated that he was being rejected so venomously. He wanted another talk with Cloud and being stuck in dreams of the demonic Cloud butchering entire worlds was not his idea of a great conversation. He simply could not push passed the images to get into the blonde's mind, always intercepted by the demon and rebuked with mockery.  
  
And he had decided that he really did not like the demon in the least. Although he would simply love to have Cloud so destructive, he was not pleased with the fact that the demon was untamable and frustratingly stubborn to the point where he wished nothing more than to strangle the blonde. He much preferred a Cloud that would not lash out when he drew close and make attempts to dismember him when the demon ran out of dream targets. The demon was too unpredictable and much too different to be anything more than a shell of darkness filled with hate, anger, and pain. He would be able to do little with the demon, meaning that he would have to work with the planet to keep the demon from taking over and pulling Cloud from his reach.  
  
Slowly, he settled himself back against the sheets and wrapped an arm around the blonde's relaxed shoulders, pulling their bodies close together until Cloud's face was safely nestled against his shoulder. He pulled his feathered wing up as a sort of protective barrier as the blonde continued to sleep soundly. He rested his chin on the top of Cloud's head, chuckling softly as the blonde's silky spikes tickled his cheeks. Gently, he ran his fingers down the blonde's spine, eyes narrowing as the skin beneath his touch shifted between warmth and cold, the dark veins radiating the difficulties that Cloud was having in fighting the hardest and most strenuous battle.  
  
He felt that if he could draw the true form of the blonde closer to the surface Cloud would be able to free from the darkness' hold. However, he also feared that the obvious words for self-sacrifice were more than a little truthful, and he refused to lose the blonde after almost twenty years of pursuit. He would need to watch the blonde closely and not allow Cloud to throw everything away for the happiness of everyone else. Cloud had lived that life for many years as a Royal Guard, and Sephiroth was not pleased with a possible extreme shift that thrust the blonde into the role of martyr.  
  
'Alright Wonderboy, time is up. I suggest you get out of there before Blondie wakes up. I needn't remind you what will happen if he sees you.' Hades voices echoed in Sephiroth's head, jarring the silver-haired man from his thoughts. The god grinned and pulled his consciousness away from the former General, his new plot already in place to void some contracts for his own benefit.  
  
Sephiroth reluctantly pulled away from the sleeping blonde, shifting his bare feet so that they touched down on the cold stone floor. He sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes as his mind seemed to cloud over and all the crisp clearness pulled back from his grasp. All he wanted to do was seize Cloud and drag the blonde away into the shadow where no other creature would be able to glimpse at his property. Yet, he could not and simply climbed to his feet, glancing back one last time before he would be forced to step back into the shadow of the blonde's life until the time came when he could force Cloud to submit to him. Just a little more time was all that he needed.  
  
He snapped his fingers, feeling himself lift from the ground as his removed clothing swept around him and refitted to his body, all his buckles tightening around his ankles, waist, and wrists. The leather felt crisp and cool against his heated skin, and he pulled his long hair out from his leather coat before flexing his fingers and wing. With his sword at his side shifting in and out of space, he stepped away from the warm inviting bed and prepared to fulfill his final part of the bargain.  
  
He teleported from the room without another glance back, aware of the blonde's mind shifting forward. However, he failed to notice when one of his black feathers slipped from his wing and drifted back to the bed, falling beside the rousing blonde. Despite this, he was aware of Hades nearby, but let the feeling pass with the god. He had a planet to destroy and blood to spill.  
  
Cloud softly groaned as he stirred back to wakefulness. He blinked open his eyes before reaching up to rub the remnants of sleep from them, blurry vision quickly coming into sharp focus. Yet, he continued to lie on his side for a few more minutes as his mind adjusted to being awake again. He drew in a deep breath and ran a hand through his mussed locks of hair, finding the locks tangle free despite sleeping. However, he felt the most refreshed than he had in months, and he would not complain about that fact.  
  
Slowly, he turned on to his back, letting a hand flop back onto the bed. After taking a few minutes, he forced himself to sit up and stretch out his muscles, pulling each one into wakefulness with him. His gaze traveled around the room before glancing down at the bed beneath him. However, before he could pick anything but blankets out, he was suddenly aware of a shadow moments before he was tackled back to the bed.  
  
He clenched his teeth as his thoughts immediately drew to the conclusion that Sephiroth was attacking him. Yet, he was bear-hugged to a much slimmer chest than that of Sephiroth, and he looked up to find Zax gloping him like an overjoyed puppy. He tried to pull away from the dark-haired man's tight grasp, but Zax did not seem to wish to let him go so easily. "Hey, let me go. I just woke up."  
  
No time for such small talk! We have an island to explore! Quick! Get dressed and let's get out the door! Zax piped loudly directly into the blonde's ear, noting that Cloud flinched and tried to pull away from him. He huggled Cloud close before shoving the blonde out of bed, laughing openly when the blonde nearly squawked and fell over. Come on, Spike. So many things to do! Some many people to annoy!  
  
Cloud slowly picked himself off of the floor and rubbed his mildly injured bottom before scratching his head. "It seems like you only take pleasure from annoying me." He said as he turned to look around for his uniform, noting that he carelessly discarded it all around his room.  
  
As soon as Cloud's back was turned, Zax grabbed the black feather and hid it behind his back, cursing Hades softly. He would not lose Cloud now that he was so close to success of getting the blonde back to Hollow Bastion, especially not now that Sephiroth was more or less on the side of planet. He needed to be rid of the guilty feather as quickly as he could without Cloud noticing any odd behaviour from him. If he could stomp out Hades' attempt to void Sephiroth's contract, he and the planet would be more than a little happy to keep Cloud theirs. All he needed to do was get rid of the feather, but he was unsure of where he could hide it so that Cloud would never find it.  
  
While Cloud wandered about looking for various items of clothing, Zax examined the feather, feeling slightly uncomfortable with small traces of darkness biting at his fingertips. He was thankful that his fingers were callused from years of using a sword because he knew such darkness would hurt a lot more in sensitive areas, so he was sure to keep it away from his face.  
  
"Oh Zax, I was wondering if...?" Cloud swiveled to regard the dark-haired man as he pulled on one of his boots, stopping in mid-sentence when Zax moved faster than he could follow. He felt his cheeks flush as he found himself staring at Zax with a hand down the front of dark-haired man's pants. The pained expression that immediately followed the movements made his jaw slacken slightly, and he couldn't help but stare for a few seconds. Eventually, he looked away. "I...I'm sorry! What...what the hell are you doing?"  
  
Zax had to fight to urge to scream and jump around, and he knew that his face had turned an interesting shade of red. Not only had Cloud not been able to embarrass him like this before, but the blonde had also failed at forcing him to take one for the team. He now understood the true meaning of pain, and he was not happy over the fact that he could not remove the offending feather or lose Cloud to Hades. So, he forced his hand from his pants and tried to sit as comfortably as possible, wincing as the darkness continued to bite into his flesh, forcing him to blink back tears of agony and humiliation. Luckily, Cloud was no longer staring at him in shock.  
  
Cloud eventually managed to fumble his way into his clothing, his belt buckles being particularly stubborn on this morning, though he blamed most of it on his bumbling fingers. He occasionally glanced over his wing to see if Zax was alright, and he wondered what had happened to his friend to make the dark-haired man look like death was a preferred option. However, he dared not ask, though Zax's glares at the dark-haired man's crotch made him nearly voice his questions.  
  
Zax gritted his teeth as the blonde seemed to not wish to turn around, probably out of both embarrassment and vague wonder. Cloud had always had too many questions running around in that blonde head, but the warrior rarely asked openly. So, he felt the need to diverge the discomfort with a sudden change of topic. Of course, the fact that the sooner he got Cloud out and moving, the sooner he could remove the stupid feather down the front of his pants. Have you...looked at that scroll yet? He watched Cloud hesitantly turn to regard him, noting the blonde's slightly pinked cheeks. Who knew that such things embarrassed Cloud so easily? You know...to find out the location?  
  
"Well, I haven't as of yet. I suppose that I could look at it now." Cloud wandered over to his small table and picked up the scroll, blinking when the dark-haired man suddenly snatched it from his grasp as he unrolled the contents. He watched as Zax bearly glanced at the paper and suddenly forced a grin at him. "Are you alright?"  
  
Just fine...I recognize this place. Zax shifted his weight and shivered as pain raced up his spine when the feather shifted. He thought this might be the silver-haired man's revenge for his death-threat the day before, though he would never admit pain to Sephiroth.  
  
Slowly, Zax lifted a finger and pressed it to Cloud's forehead, sending the island's location to the forefront of the blonde's thoughts. Though he had bearly looked at the scroll, the planet had informed him of the proper location thanks to the shared knowledge that the planet held from long years of gathering. He smiled slightly when Cloud responded to the link between them, the darkness slipping back from the blonde's mind as they briefly united.  
  
Yet, he pulled away quickly after he had given Cloud directions, under strict orders not to reveal his origin to the blonde just yet. He swore that he saw a brief flicker of disappointment on Cloud's face as he broke contact, but the blonde covered such emotions too quickly for him to be certain. Did you get that?  
  
Cloud nodded and ran a hand through his hair, missing the connection between himself and Zax despite the fact that they had only briefly touched minds. He felt drawn to the warmth of the dark-haired man's mind, finding it strangely open and inviting to him, like the warm embrace of his mother. He had found a foreign comfort in the connection, a calling deep in his soul that made his back tingle as if extensions of his being were being pulled from his skin into wings. And in that calling, he had heard many voices whispering softly, a soft green light that drew him into warmth, secrets long since hidden away coming forward on green wisps that he could almost touch...  
  
Then Zax had broken that connection, forced all the warmth from the embrace, pulled back all the secrets, ceased the voices. He felt cold and alone all over again, except for his back which had a much slower fading warmth. But like everything else in his life, it had faded away into the darkness of his mind.  
  
Cloud managed to hide his angered disappointment behind a mask of neutrality. He felt the information given to him float forward in his thoughts, and he suddenly knew where he would be going and how to get there. He sighed heavily and turned away from his friend, bending to pick up his sword, looking into the reflection of the metal before angling it so that he could see Zax in the blade.  
  
And he suddenly realized that he really did not know the man in the reflection of his sword. As much as he had pressed, he knew little about the dark-haired man except for the fact that Zax would appear only when the dark-haired man wanted to. In Zax's appearances, he had almost always been completely alone. Though he had grown up the years with the dark-haired man aging along side him, he had always sensed that Zax was beyond his years in every way. So, who was Zax? He really couldn't tell anyone because he both didn't know the truth and he had been sworn early on never to speak of Zax. So, even in his friendship, he stood apart, on one side of mirror that reflected everything of himself but never revealed his companion. Zax was as much of a mystery now as the dark-haired man had been the first day that he had met Zax.  
  
'You know us, lovely. We will protect us from our pain...our loneliness.' Cool arms wrapped around the blonde's waist.  
  
Cloud?  
  
Cloud felt himself being drawn back into a cool but comforting embrace. 'They cannot hurt us if they are dead, lovely. Let them burn...hurt...despair...'  
  
Cloud!!  
  
Cloud looked up sharply from staring at his reflection in his sword, eyes widening slightly as his demonic self grinned a toothy grin and disappeared back into the blade's reflection. His gaze swiveled to Zax, noting that the dark-haired man's hand was on his shoulder. He glanced down at the blade as cool arms slipped away from his waist then looked fully at his friend. "Sorry, I was just thinking about if I wish to teleport to Atlantis or not."  
  
Zax released his hold on the blonde's shoulder and slowly nodded, very aware of Cloud's small lie to cover up the surging forward of the demon. We should get there and back here quickly. The faster we get this task done, the sooner you beat Hercules, and the faster we get back to Hollow Bastion.  
  
Cloud nodded and attached his sword to his back, taking his time to make sure that the blade was secure. "I suppose that I will meet you there then?"  
  
I'll be hot on your trail, Spike. Zax flashed the blonde a toothy grin and lifted a thumbs-up. He shifted his legs and nodded silently to himself, finding the pain growing to only mildly uncomfortable. He could probably keep the feather for a bit longer seeing as it made him feel like jumping around like an idiot. However, he was not so sure that the planet would be pleased if he kept the feather around for longer than he had to.  
  
Again, Cloud nodded silently and lifted a hand as he gathered some power to form a teleportation spell, his mind setting his new destination. He felt the energy wash over his body and pull his form into a different space and time until solid ground once more slipped beneath his boots, and he could open his eyes once more to look around himself.  
  
He stood in the middle of glade, knee-length grass shifting around him with a warm breeze that smelled like the sea with rich salt. Some of the tallest trees formed a tense circle around the glade, somehow unable to block out the rays of the sun with their height. Vines with rich colours of flowers laced the branches of the trees and crawled lethargically over the trunks and pooled down between the massive roots. The air was alive with the sounds of birds and only a few clouds dotted the magenta skies. Nearby, the sound of water could be heard but only traces of it could be felt from the winds that slipped by his body.  
  
Cautiously, he took a step towards where he heard water, eyes narrowing as the birds ceased singing and silence caved in around him, his hand going for the hilt of his blade. He waited tensely until the bushes directly in front of him shifted, his defensive stance dropping as a single unicorn stepped into the glade with him.  
  
It was the first time he had ever laid eyes on such a magnificent beast, but the legends about them seemed to pale to the actual air that one carried. Its silver coat shimmered despite being shaded, a long red mane and tail shifting with the breeze that now carried the scent of flowers. A single golden horn rose from the beast's forehead and Cloud swore that he could see his reflection even from the distance that they stood apart. Cerulean blue eyes stared at him, its intelligence unquestionable.  
  
And he had the urge to sink to one knee as he watched the beast in silence, but he did not and only nodded his head. He held his ground when the unicorn walked closer to him, their gazes meeting on equal terms. "Who are you, human?"  
  
"Cloud Strife is my name, and I'm here on an errand for Hades, the God of the Underworld." Cloud replied softly, still ready to dodge any attack that was thrown his way. "Who are you, unicorn?"  
  
If a unicorn could smile, this one did and shook its mane. "My name has no meaning for you, but if you must call me something, Loki is my name." It turned its head to the side to better regard the blonde human. It sensed a great power with this human, and it nodded its head in acknowledgement to that power as thousands of voices washed over its consciousness when it opened its mind. "I will not kill you, child of the planet. If you didn't have such an important task, you would already be dead."  
  
Cloud narrowed his eyes at the beast, not keen on being threatened. He took a step around the unicorn and started to walk away, not interested in having his life threatened. He had a tree to find.  
  
Loki watched the blonde pass and shifted to his human form, calling forward his polearm. He smiled slowly when the blonde stopped and regarded him. "You're going the wrong way, squish-sack. You'll only find the sea and mermaids in that direction." He turned and gestured to the north path, glancing back at the blonde before blowing stray pieces of hair from his face.  
  
"How do I know that you are not trying to trick me?" Cloud asked wearily, wondering when Zax would show up to help him out.  
  
Loki snorted. "I'm no pixie, squish-sack." He smoothed down his wild red locks and swished his tail from his long white robes. Idly, he pulled one of his fallen shoulder straps back into place. "I am the only thing that currently stands between you and death, child of the planet. If you leave my great presence, I guarantee that you will meet a terrible end. I will take pleasure from your death, so I suggest you not want to please me too much or I might do the honours myself."  
  
Cloud sighed heavily and walked back to where the red-head stood watching him, eyes fixing on Loki's small golden horn. He lifted a hand and touched the horn, smirking when Loki's eyes crossed to follow his movements before slapping his hand away. "Not so tough."  
  
"One rule, squish-sack: Don't touch the horn." Loki whacked the blonde with his tail when Cloud threatened to test the rule, glaring at the blonde. "Don't make me throw you to the mermaids. They would have fun drowning you and playing with your corpse."  
  
What kind of play? The dirty kind? Zax appeared suddenly from behind Cloud, looking at the elegant young man from the side before straightening fully and stepping out from behind the blonde. He lifted a hand and wiggled his fingers in a greeting. Yo Loki, long time no see.  
  
Loki snorted as a horse might and tossed his head to one side, crossing his arms across his flat chest. "Hmpt, not long enough in my books..." He glanced between the dark-haired man and the blonde, wondering if it would be easier to be rid of both of them at the same time and give himself some more peace. He doubted that the essence of Hollow Bastion would take rejection very well, so he held his hand from striking both down. He had lived with bigger idiots before. "So, what does a squish-sack and a fraction of the...."  
  
We're looking for the Dios tree. Can you help? Zax interrupted before Loki could blow his entire cover. He grinned at the odd look that the unicorn gave him, and he was very aware of Cloud's hardened gaze on him. This was getting harder and harder to keep from the blonde, and he knew that if this kept up, he would force Cloud away from him.  
  
Cloud looked between the red-head and his friend, suddenly unspeakably frustrated with the secrets that Zax was keeping. Perhaps it was just that he was old enough to recognize when he was being tricked and information was being kept from him, and he had been second commander of the Royal Guards for too long to tolerate insubordination. Yet, he was forced to allow the issue drop again for the sake of finding the Dios tree and completing his mission.  
  
His gaze fixed on the red-head and he crossed his arms across his chest stubbornly. "I need a branch from the Dios tree to complete a mission set down to me by Hades."  
  
Loki quirked a red eyebrow and glanced between the two men. "What an odd pair for a mission for the God of the Underworld." He rubbed his forehead as if pained. "And why should I help you soil one of the greatest trees in all of Atlantis?"  
  
If you don't help us, I'll tell Hades where you hid his 'interesting' pictures of Peresphone. Zax grinned when Loki looked away.  
  
"Unicorns do not steal." Loki stated matter-of-factly.  
  
Of course not, but they do borrow with the intent of never returning. Zax knew that he was right when the red-head suddenly looked as though Loki may throw a fit of rage at him. Playfully, he raised his hands to settle the unicorn and grinned at Cloud who had remained a little too silent for his liking.  
  
Cloud softly sighed and turned his back on the pair, looking around for the nearest path that may lead him in the direction of the tree he now sought. Without a glance back, he stalked towards the nearest dirt path, ignoring the red-head's mutters that he would only find death in that direction. He pushed into the path as Zax called to him, and he sensed the dark-haired man pursuing him despite not looking back. He also felt several pairs of unfamiliar eyes following his movements.  
  
Yet, he continued to walk around in the foreign forest until he found Loki standing in front of him again. He glanced back to find that Zax had seemingly disappeared from behind him. His gaze fixed on the neutrally standing unicorn. "I don't need your help. I will find it on my own."  
  
"You have something you wish to ask me." Loki replied neutrally, gaze locking with the blonde's before he slowly nodded his head. He waited for the question that he already knew.  
  
Cloud felt himself draw a sharp breath before slowly nodding. "How do you know Zax?"  
  
Loki smirked arrogantly and leaned on his elegant polearm. "I maintain the life of this planet, as its guardian. Your friend visited here just the other day trying to find the Dios tree for you. He was quite worried about you and spoke openly that he desired you to return to your own planet as quickly as possible." He shifted his weight and walked closer to the blonde, gaze still locked with Cloud's. "He would not give me details, especially not on himself. He left quickly to aid you, I should think."  
  
Cloud set his shoulders as Loki stopped a few feet away from him and clenched a fist. He could not tell if the red-head was lying to him. "You two seemed quite friendly."  
  
"I gave him my word that I would. Unicorns always stay true to their word, not that a squish-sack like you could possibly understand. Humans are too simple-minded to understand anything passed their own greed." Loki chuckled when the blonde stiffened at the insult and winked when a glare was shot his way. How he loved to play with the breakable people of other worlds, though he found himself slightly interested in this little one. He liked the feel of power from the blonde; curiosity was part of being an immortal unicorn. "However, you are not fully human. I can feel power in you, one that goes beyond a mere mortal."  
  
"I live and die as a warrior of my planet. There is nothing special about me." Cloud replied coolly, crossing his arms in front of him. He was not certain why Loki was all of a sudden talkative to him.  
  
Loki swished his tail at the blonde's response and grinned mockingly. "Your friend would beg to differ, I should think. If he could put you on a pedestal, he would from how he speaks about you."  
  
Cloud felt his shoulders fall slightly. "Zax always says such things. He's just trying to be funny."  
  
"Ignorance in denial is a quality that only humans possess." Loki brushed bangs from his forehead and pulled himself upright when the blonde growled and moved to walk around him. He allowed the blonde to do so, gaze following every moment until the blonde was behind him fully. "Perhaps your friend is merely your friend to further his own purposes. There's no good feeling like being used, is there?" He slowly turned to regard the blonde who looked more shocked than angry at his comment, but he smiled almost sadly when the blonde's jawline stiffened with anger. "Will you hide in your denial again, squish-sack?"  
  
"Zax is not like that." Cloud replied coldly, clenching a hand at his side. How dare this arrogant unicorn question his relations with the only person that had wanted to be his friend. "He is my friend because he wishes to be, nothing more."  
  
"I suggest you be perfectly certain of that before you put your foot in your mouth." Loki grinned when the blonde's hand leapt for the blade on the blonde's back. He shifted his polearm under one arm, indicating that he would not fight the blonde. "You fight a long hard battle and it will only get worse before it gets better. I hope for your sake that you pull through with your mind intact because you are losing control much too quickly. Sometimes it is better to stand and face what you are running from."  
  
Cloud pulled his hand away from his blade, slightly surprised by the sudden air of sincerity in the red-head's voice. Slowly, he nodded his head. "I'm not running from anything."  
  
Loki quirked an eyebrow and walked towards the blonde, locking their gazes. "Your eyes tell me what your mouth does not. You run, child of the planet, faster and faster until you will break yourself in your attempt at freedom." He placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder lightly. "I'm afraid that your freedom is in the direction that you are running from. How long will you let the past chase you, child of the planet? It is the worst thing to run from, but let me give you some advice, from one man to another."  
  
"Advice?" Cloud asked quietly.  
  
"You are more than what you have become. Stop looking to be hurt and you will stop hurting." Loki slowly brushed passed the blonde, their gazes still locked. He smirked when the emotions in the blonde's eyes recoiled and shifted unnaturally before a wall of neutrality washed over Cloud's face. He continued to walk through the woods, fully aware that his words had wedged in the blonde's mind.  
  
Silently, Cloud fell in behind the red-head and trailed after the unicorn. He refused to think about anything, especially not the words that had been spoken to him for he felt like he did not fully understand. He needed time to think, to chew on the words of the red-head as the continually tried to creep into his thoughts. He refused them though and his feet moved more swiftly to keep pace with the now silent Loki who only glanced back at him knowingly, that arrogant gaze swinging to chuckle at him in their silence. And he knew in the back of his mind that the unicorn had wounded him in a way that would cause his walls to drop in order to ponder. He could not simply ignore the red-head's words, as much as he would have liked to. Now that the words were in his head, he would be forced to think about them.  
  
But not at this moment in time.  
  
Cloud stopped when he stepped out from the dense forest path into yet another clearing, glancing at the red-head at his shoulder. Yet, his gaze strayed back to the massive tree that climbed and twisted its way through the air, the top disappearing into the cloud cover. Rich foliage of a mixture of reds and greens seemed to shimmer with every ray of the sun that fell upon the leaves. The branches were covered in a bark that shifted colour with the breeze, a kaleidoscope of the clashing elements that made up the world exhibited in one tree.  
  
Cloud felt his breath catch in his throat as he stepped passed Loki, eyes fixed on the enormous tree before him. Surely, he had no words to describe its magnificence and the peace that it brought to his soul just looking at it. "Is that...?"  
  
"The Dios tree, most prized creation of Demeter. She put the beauty of the gods and goddesses in its creation." Loki walked towards the tree, beckoning the blonde to follow silently. He stopped when they stood beside the massive girth of the tree and gestured at its full height, both he and the blonde looking painfully small. "I will give you one small branch from the tree, one of only four on this island. What you do with that piece is completely up to you, but I suggest you use it wisely. Demeter has a way of showing her unhappiness at the mistreatment of her creations."  
  
Slowly, Cloud nodded his head and blinked when Loki suddenly disappeared from beside him. His gaze turned upwards, scanning the branches that he could see in hopes of catching a glimpse of the red-head again. He shaded his eyes with a hand as he leaned and tilted his head up fully, sighing when he could not capture any sign of the unicorn.  
  
Vaguely, he could hear someone running through the trees in his direction, soft curses indicating that Zax had finally caught up to his current position. He failed to be surprised by the dark-haired man's ability to track him down; Zax was always very good at it.  
  
Cloud turned when Loki was suddenly beside him again, hands reaching out as a sizable chuck of wood was dropped into his arms, surprised at how light the wood was. He glanced between the wood and the red-head, nodding a thanks to the unicorn before hefting the wood over one shoulder and turning towards where Zax's curses were sounding. Sighing almost heavily, he walked towards where the dark-haired man would come barreling from the bush, stopping when a light hand grabbed his shoulder, turning back to regard Loki. "Yes?"  
  
"Fight hard and you will find your peace. Falter and you doom more than just yourself. Keep that in mind, squish-sack." Loki pulled his hand away and turned back towards the Dios tree, the sun dancing over his golden horn, aware when the blonde began to leave him again, slipping off to another part of the forest.  
  
Cloud stopped walking when Zax burst from the bush in front of him, raising an eyebrow as the dark-haired man's threats against the 'fiendish stupid' unicorn, Loki. When Zax finally regarded him, he gestured at the wood on his shoulder. "I've got what we came for. Let's go and get this over with."  
  
Zax muttered a few more curses at the unicorn before turning his full attention to Cloud, walking over to inspect the branch in the blonde's hands. He smiled when Cloud relaxed slightly, finding the blonde's life force stabilize in the forest, a fact that captures most of his attention. If he can keep Cloud here for a little longer, the blonde's life force might grow stronger, and he can talk with Cloud, hopefully get the blonde to smile or laugh. Perhaps he can kill two birds with one stone by convincing Cloud to remain in the forest with him.  
  
He smiled and reached out the ruffle the blonde's hair, not surprised when Cloud resisted the touch and pulled away from him. He grinned and took the branch from Cloud's shoulder, nodding to himself that he could do something with this piece of wood. Hey, let's stay here for a little while so I can shape this for you. It will be great, just like old times again!  
  
"What happened to getting this mission over and getting me back to Hollow Bastion? I thought you were in a hurry." Cloud gently prodded Zax, hoping to figure out if indeed, he was just being used for some purpose. He would have never expected it from Zax, but then again, they have been separated for a long period of time. Things change with time, as much as he hated to admit it.  
  
Zax waved a dismissive hand at Cloud and flopped down on the lush green grass, reaching into one of his pockets and pulling out knife. He sent an electrical pulse through the wood to prevent it from regenerating all of his future work and then set to work removing the bark from the branch. He smiled when Cloud eventually sat down nearby and noted that they remained in silence as Cloud began to work at sharpening the gigantic blade.  
  
He glanced back at the blonde every few minutes as they worked before finally trying to strike up a conversation. Remember that time that you told your Uncle where to go. He smiled at the memory, noting that Cloud also seemed amused with it. You were so mad that you weren't allowed to go to the parade. You screamed at the top of your lungs and ran out of the house. Remember that?  
  
Cloud chuckled and nodded. "I ran all the way to where the parade was taking place only to find myself too small to see anything from the back of the crowd." He worked the stone his blade, stopping to pay attention to a particular nick in the metal. "I wriggled my way to the front in time to see Lord Ansem and the General."  
  
I swear, your jaw nearly hit the floor when you saw them. That was the first time for you to be out in such an event. Seeing those two made your hair stand up more, I think. You were such a funny kid. Zax laughed softly at the memory, his gaze flicking over the images that the planet had kept of the event. He played over to where Sephiroth's head had turned and the silver-haired man's gaze at found Cloud in the crowd.  
  
Cloud looked over his shoulder at Zax, finding the quirky smile refreshing and their bond of friendship serge within him. The dark-haired man had taken care of him when no one else would, despite his claims otherwise in his adult life. In some ways, Zax had inspired him to show his uncle that he could be proficient with a blade, always encouraging him to try again when he stumbled, picking him up when he fell, wiping blood from his knees when he was injured.  
  
Yet, at the mentioning of that particular memory when he was twelve and first disobeyed his uncle's order, he remembered so many vivid feelings about the situation, from his madly pattering feet to the seemingly loud noise from the crowd. He had shoved his way through to catch his first glimpse of the idol that everyone spoke of, felt his gaze lock with Sephiroth's for only a brief moment before his attention was pulled away by Zax yelling at him through the crowd. "That was the first and only time that you appeared when I was with a group of people, Zax."  
  
Zax cocked his head to the side as his fingers continued to shape the log in his hands, gaze shifting to the sky before he finally nodded to himself, a warm smile playing over his lips. Yeah, I guess you are right. I didn't want you to get yourself into too much trouble with your uncle so close.  
  
He sighed softly when silence fell between them again and risked a glance over at Cloud whose elegant profile seemed lost in thought. He found that the blonde looked so young despite Cloud's real years, and he was saddened to know that he was slowly losing the blonde to the darkness no matter how hard he tried. He found that he had been pulled away from the blonde much too quickly and probably too early given Cloud's lack of ability to express emotions anymore. He had left the blonde so vulnerable and Cloud had found a way to survive without him, and nothing that he did now would change the fact that Cloud had adjusted to a new path of survival, one that was dragging the blonde down.  
  
He wondered why the planet had reabsorbed him right after Cloud joined the Royal Guards, ignoring his protests that he should remain for a little longer to make sure that the blonde could adjust to the new lifestyle. His words had been ignored completely, and the planet only stated that Cloud's light would now take care of him. He had protested to that as well, but his one voice had been silenced quickly and his consciousness dragged back into the lifestream where he joined his fellow voices.  
  
Cloud casually glanced over at Zax who was mostly turned away from him. He wondered what the dark-haired man was thinking about so silently, Zax's hands moving wordlessly as if the project determined its own form. He looked down at his own sword, finding all of the nicks and blemishes worked from the metal and casually set the sword aside. "You almost done, Zax? We should get going back to the Coliseum to try and find Hercules. I'll finish my contract once and for all then I'll beat all the information out of Hades in regards to Sephiroth."  
  
Zax couldn't help the smile that crossed his features at the image of Cloud smacking the god of the Underworld around. Slowly, he stopped his activity and grinned at his handy work, holding out the now shaped piece of wood. His grin only got bigger as Cloud's eyes widened and the blonde desperately tried not to smile at him. He gestured at the baseball bat in his hands as if it is the most normal item that he could give to the blonde. What's wrong with my gift? You don't like it?  
  
"It's a bat, Zax." Cloud pointed out the obvious, not certain if Zax caught his drift that such a thing is not a proper weapon. It wasn't even a dignified one either.  
  
No, this...this here is a weapon unlike any other in its design and curves. I call it the 'Nailbat' Zax grinned and forced the weapon into Cloud's hands, watching as the blonde turned to weapon over several times. He laughed when Cloud did find some of the nails he had bent into the wood, making swinging motions with his hands as if he were holding the bat in his hands. He stopped after a few moments when Cloud appeared to be silently mortified with his gift and faked sadness. You don't like it...do you? He faked a few sobs.  
  
Cloud hastily hid his discomfort with the new weapon and climbed to his feet, tucking the bat into his belt and holding out his hands in an attempt to stop Zax from being upset. "No, I like it, Zax. It's...a wonderful...weapon. I was...uh...just trying to think of the best way to attack an enemy with it."  
  
Zax wiped a non-existent tear from his eye and jumped to his feet, latching on to Cloud's shoulders before the blonde could try to escape. He hugged Cloud all too tightly, listening to the blonde's small grunts of embarrassment in regards to his treatment. He sniffled slightly, making the sounds seem much too real to be disbelieved. I'm so...happy!  
  
Cloud closed his eyes in slight disbelief, now taking to try to disentangle himself from Zax's clutches. He eventually just grunted his disapproval and allowed the dark-haired man to cling to him when Zax refused to let him go. He could endure a little melodrama, turning his eyes to the sky above him until Zax finally let him go. He immediately crossed his arms to prevent the dark-haired man from flying at him again and sighed heavily, kicking lightly at the ground. "We...should be getting back. I want to find Hercules quickly."  
  
Zax silently nodded his approval to finding their intended target, smiling warmly at Cloud's relaxed body language. He only wished that he could keep the blonde this relaxed all the time, but it was impossible and he knew it. Cloud would do what Cloud wanted to do, and Zax was aware that no words or actions could sway the blonde from any course. All he could do was stand by Cloud's side and hope that the blonde would follow him back to Hollow Bastion instead of after the crazed obsessive General.  
  
He gestured with a hand that they leave, grinning from ear to ear when Cloud appeared to be studying the Nailbat again. He thought it would be a great weapon. Come on, Spike, let's go boot some head! He sighed lightheartedly when Cloud laughed softly, finding the sound so rare now that it saddened him. He would be sure to make Cloud laugh more now that their adventures were about to get much harder with impending battles and the chance of death or worse for the blonde. So, I'll meet you back in the Coliseum? You won't get into trouble if I leave you alone for a few seconds? He grinned merrily and knocked Cloud in the shoulder.  
  
Cloud sighed and set a hand on his hip, shifting his weight so that he appeared to be very arrogant. "I will be good and be in the Coliseum before you even make an attempt to leave this island. I'm just that good."  
  
Zax smirked and placed his own hands on his hips, leaning forward so that he and Cloud were looking at each other in a similar arrogant manner. Oh yeah, you really think so? You're just a kid, Spike. You couldn't possibly defeat the greatest person on the face of any planet... He pointed at his chest and lifted his chin. El Manifico, me! There's no way that someone with your hairstyle could beat someone as drop-dead gorgeous as me.  
  
He blinked when he felt dark energy rising in the area, gaze immediately snapping to Cloud, thinking that his teasings might have sparked the darkness to take the blonde over again. He felt his jaw drop open when he found Cloud grinning at him and waving as a teleportation spell wrapped around the blonde. Hey! No fair! I didn't get to finish my speech! Cheater!  
  
Cloud chuckled softly and closed his eyes as the teleportation spell wrapped around his body, and he slipped from one location to the next. He opened his eyes again when a cool breeze ran over his face, blinking when he found himself standing atop one of the warrior monuments of the Coliseum. He sighed in exasperation. "I'm never going to get this teleportation thing right...."  
  
With a small huff of frustration, he stepped from his position of the monument and slipped his wing from his cloak, gliding back down to level ground. He tucked his wing away again when his feet touched solid ground, immediately walking up the steps to the Coliseum and pushing open the doors, gaze shifting about to find his intended target now that he had a weapon that would be able to take Hercules down.  
  
When he could find no sigh of his cowry, he walked swiftly through the small stone room until his boots crunched noisily on the loose gravel that lead out into the fighting arena, his glowing gaze announcing his mood and presence long before his body stepped from the shadows. He stopped and growled in slight frustration when he could not see Hercules anywhere, yet his gaze spied Hades near the door to the underground dressing room along with another man who he instantly recognized.  
  
He would have turned and left the area immediately if both individuals hadn't regarded him. He put his chin more deeply in his cloak and set his shoulders before walking with a warrior's purpose over to Hades, gaze shifting to the brunette standing next to the god only briefly before returning to Hades who was grinning at him in that manner that just spelled trouble for him. "I have a piece of the Dios tree. Where is Hercules?"  
  
Hades could feel his grin only getting larger as the seconds passed him by. He looked between the two warriors, immediately sensing a silent coldness between the two, but that failed to dampen his mood. His mind instantly began to form up plans for the upcoming tournament and the destruction of Zeus' illegitimate brat of a son. His day was only getting better and better, something that he liked very much.  
  
Slowly, he folded his hands in front of him and smirked at the blonde across from him in a manner that was similar to a master praising their dog. "Well Blondie, I'm very glad to hear that you can do something right...you had me worried there for a few days. Here I thought I brought another failure on board, which you still are, just in a better way." He chuckled and wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders, snubbing the brunette completely as he pulled his blonde warrior to the side for a small private talk.  
  
Cloud shifted his shoulders as Hades pulled him a few feet away from Leon, gaze shifting about suspiciously. It didn't seem like the god was about to give him the details on to where to find Hercules, making his patience shorten considerably. "Where is Hercules? I want to find him and show him the meaning of pain."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down the mental processes there, Spiky. You may hurt yourself." Hades patted the blonde on the top of the head before wiping his hand on the warrior's shoulder with a slightly disgusted look on his face. He immediately brightened though. "Now, I'm as eager to get rid of Jerk-ules as you are...probably more considering the amount of time I've been plotting his demise...but anyway, we have one thing to do before we trounce that dim-wit." He held his hands up innocently when the blonde's eyes flashed with anger. "Hey, anger management, Blondie!"  
  
Cloud seized Hades by the front of the god's black robes. "I don't want to wait around for another one of your stupid plots to fail! Just tell me where he is and I will kill him. Our contract is over, and you are pushing me to the end of my tolerance. What is it that I have to do for you this time?" He growled angrily.  
  
"Well, since you asked...I do have something for you to do...because heh, you still work for me my spiky-haired power-puff marshmallow." Hades dragged the blonde back to the other warrior watching them. "Clink, this is Lion."  
  
"It's Cloud." Cloud replied heatedly.  
  
"That's Leon." Leon replied just as heatedly.  
  
Hades looked between the two warriors, studying them almost intently when he was really just giving them time to fume in front of him. He found the way they both pouted quite amusing and tormenting his nit-wit warrior's was one of the best activities to amuse himself. Eventually, he wiggled his fingertips together as if evilly scheming. "Riiiiight...Anyway, Spiky, this here is Peon."  
  
"Leon!"  
  
Hades looked at the brunette, appraising him silently before chuckling. "No, I think I was right on that one." He grinned when the brunette glared at him silently and set his attention back on the blonde warrior. "I'm arranging one more tournament...the tournament of tournaments...the best one in all the worlds and because it is the best, it is named after me, the best god in the worlds."  
  
Cloud rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly until Hades batted one of his taller spikes. He could already tell what Hades wanted, and he did not like the prospects one little bit. "You want me to fight with him and try to kill Sora...again, right?"  
  
"That's right, Blondie. You get to team up with that stiff-shouldered, no personalitied...is that even a word...well it is now, ha ha... dork and take care of the other spiky brat so I don't get another rash in a place that I will not describe to you because it might make you throw-up...actually, it probably will...But, anyway, just swat the brat and it will save me from getting my hands dirty." Hades grinned between the two warriors who appeared to be sizing each other up. His grin quickly faltered when the two seemed to just want to glare at each other. "Wow...there may be enough personality between the both of you to make up a comatose victim who has just been pronounced brain dead."  
  
Leon kept his silence, merely grunting his slight approval to working with the blonde warrior standing across from him. He needed words with the General anyway, so this little set up worked out perfectly.  
  
Cloud, however, was not so happy and was not in the mood to let things simply roll off his shoulders so easily. He wanted his contract to be finished, to get information on Sephiroth, and to get back to Hollow Bastion. This new little plan was only taking more time for all of his goals to be reached, and the longer it took, the more time his darker self had to take over again.  
  
He growled softly. "Tell me where to find Hercules now, and I'll fight in your little tournament of champions, but after my fight is over, I'm going after my prize." He tapped his foot on the ground impatiently, waiting for Hades to stop joking around and just tell him what he wanted to know. He was growing weary of all these mind games. "And while we are at it, tell me where I can find Sephiroth." He noted Leon's narrowed eyes at the mention of the former General and stored it away to question the brunette later, if they were on speaking terms.  
  
Hades chuckled softly and gestured at the blonde while looking at Leon. "See, look how eager some of my minions are to serve. Spiky is just chomping at the bit to serve my every desire...too bad you couldn't do the same, eh Squeal?" He grinned at the blonde's slight confusion and patted Cloud on the shoulder mockingly. "Oh, so Peon never did mention that he had a contract with me to track you down for 'ultimate revenge for the destruction of his life', did he? Well, you two can figure your differences out since...you know, his contract is now over and yours will soon be too...you hope."  
  
"I'll deal with him later. I want to deal with you now. Where is Hercules? And where do I find Sephiroth?! He was with me, in YOUR realm, the night before, meaning that you know exactly where he is. Tell me what you know!" Cloud seized Hades' robe in one hand and ripped the Nailbat from his belt with the other, raising it in the air. "Or, I will see if this tree only works on Hercules...."  
  
Hades chuckled softly and patted the blonde on the top of the head. "Heh heh, that's so cute. Puppy is getting nosy! Bad puppy." He growled when the bat was brought down on his arm, the warning obvious that his mockery was not wanted. So, his warrior was starting to fight back, meaning that the darkness was really taking the blonde over. He had to hold back a grin of pleasure to this news. "Alright, puppy, you win..." He leaned close before glancing around, whispering the coordinates where Hercules practiced before casually pulling away, a devious expression set on his features. "You find him, do what you do best...mindless fighting...and then you scurry your little butt back here to the Coliseum, have an nice bath or something...and your little pal will show up. You have Hades' stamp guarantee!" He reached into his robes and pulled out a stamp, smacking the blonde in the middle of the forehead, leaving an nice impression of himself in stamp form with a thumbs up.  
  
He casually sent the stamp away while the blonde glared at him, a playful grin on his features. "Now, I have far more important people to deal with...you know, people with at least half a personality and some dumb wit to actually laugh at my jokes. You two have fun and be here tomorrow to fry me some duck soup, breaded dog, and wimp legs."  
  
Cloud reached up and rubbed his forehead as Hades turned and wandered away, leaving him standing uncomfortably close to Leon, the man who had tried to kill him in their last encounter. He grunted softly, smirking when the brunette grunted back, the common warrior speak coming out in the both of them. His gaze traveled over to Leon, and he set a hand on the hilt of his sword to test the other man's desire to fight.  
  
Leon slowly raised his hands away from his own hilt, not wanting to fight General Strife any longer. He felt slightly ashamed of his harsh actions and complete stubbornness when it came to ignoring Aerith's pleas that he stop fighting the blonde. He had desired nothing more than to find General Strife and put some semblance of revenge in the fight that they had, having waited so long for the chance to avenge those who died so brutally. He never realized, too blinded by his anger, that the blonde had been completely set up by General Sephiroth who sounded much loopier than anything Cloud could be.  
  
He silently bowed his head slightly, feeling very uncomfortable at having to apologize for his actions. Yet, Aerith had begged him to make peace with the General, and he had given his words that he would if he ever met up with the blonde warrior again. "General...I must apologize for my actions at our last meeting. I...overstepped my boundaries." He fidgeted when the blonde's eyes shifted to him, those same battle-harden blue eyes that he remembered from his childhood staring at him. "Aerith explained...much of what I did not know."  
  
Cloud looked the brunette up and down before silently nodding his head, grunting his acceptance of the apology. His gaze then moved around the fighting arena before wandering back to Leon. "You owe me then, and here is what you will do." He let their gazes meet on equal terms. "You have appeared to have finished your contract...against me..." He let those words sit heavily in the air before continuing on. "I am almost finished mine, but Hades doesn't seem to wish to let me go. The only way I can finish it is to find and kill Hercules." He gestured around the arena. "I'm wasting my time here with this worthless fighting against creatures that I can defeat with my eyes closed. I want to face Hercules so that I can move on to better things."  
  
"Aerith said you were going to free Hollow Bastion of the Heartless there. She said that you had been dreaming of taking back your reputation since the day you stepped foot in Traverse Town." Leon rested a hand on the hilt of his blade, much too aware of Hades' little plots to prolong the ending of a contract. He could see that Cloud's contract was a lot messier than his own. "What is it that you want me to do, General?"  
  
"Lose." Cloud turned to fully regard Leon when the brunette quirked an eyebrow at him. "We fight and lose to Sora. I don't have time to take out some punk kid who is my ticket home. He has the keyblade, and he will do us no good dead. If we let him keep Hades busy, I can get to Hercules and end my contract then...then..."  
  
Leon leaned his head back slightly at the blonde's stall, shifting his hands to his hips. "Then you go back to Hollow Bastion."  
  
Cloud nodded his head slowly. "After I find and kill Sephiroth. Hades said that he would arrive here after I defeated Hercules, and, as confusing as Hades can be, he never fully lies."  
  
"Nor does he tell the whole truth...but I see your point. Having that madman after you could defeat the entire purpose of going back to Hollow Bastion. He could already be there and waiting to...kill you?" Leon tried to figure out if General Sephiroth would actually kill the blonde or just beat Cloud up.  
  
Cloud slowly shook his head. "Capture me. He wants me under his thumb, his own and no one else's. I'm his...canary...with wings that fly me to freedom that he wishes to clip and cage me in a device of his own desires."  
  
Leon crossed his arms across his chest and looked up at the sky, shaking his head slightly. "He actually said that? Geez, I wonder if he writes his own lines."  
  
"I don't care to get close enough to him to ask as much as possible. I just have to find him and not let him get his chance to 'capture' me for himself. If he hinders me, I'll put him down again." Cloud shifted his footing as darkened laughter echoed in the back of his mind, and he could literally feel the black veins burrowing deeper, setting his jaw against any outside reaction. He could not show weakness, not now, not with him so close to all of his goals coming true. He had to be strong now, stronger than ever.  
  
Leon sighed and nodded his head, lifting a hand to gesture at the fighting arena. "Alright General Strife, tomorrow we will lose, and I will keep an eye on Hades for his part in the tournament. If I can, I'll help Sora out as much as I can." He reached out a hand in a gesture that all bad blood was behind them, his gaze searching the General's face. "I owe you General, and I will do all that I can to help you free Hollow Bastion and to help Sora seal the keyhole there."  
  
'Kingdom Hearts...' A dark voice whispered in the back of Cloud's mind. 'Our keyhole leads to the ultimate door....'  
  
Cloud pushed the voice away harshly and slowly extended his hand to take Leon's, finding the other hand firm in its intent. He knew that Leon was a man of his word, and Cloud accepted it as such. He could probably use all the allies that he could get. "You take care of Sora, I'll take care of Hollow Bastion."  
  
"Until tomorrow then, General Strife." Leon released his hold and began to turn away from the blonde.  
  
"Cloud." Cloud responded softly to Leon's back.  
  
Leon slowly turned back, quirking an eyebrow of slight confusion. "Pardon?"  
  
"It's just Cloud now. I'm no General, and I have no rank above any of my allies. Just call me Cloud now." Cloud smiled behind his cloak and bowed his head slightly, turning away from the brunette before walking down the darkened hallway to the locker rooms, his glowing gaze not focused on anything in particular, though his demonic hand clenched in determination. "Soon...there will be the showdown of fate...Our showdown, General....  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Oh my good God, that took so long to write! I have to beg forgiveness to all of my readers for the amount of time that it took me to actually post this chapter. I had absolutely no inspiration! None! It was so horrible! I hope that the next chapter will be a lot better to write, especially now that the Showdown of Fate is so close by! I will try extra hard to work on the next chapter...or do a blooper chapter.  
  
I thank everyone for reading. Your patience is also much appreciated. 


	13. Hercules, Hades, and Harbingers of Darkn...

Darkness Rising By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: ' indicates a dream-like voice, and indicates the speech of Zax 'cause...well, only Cloud can usually see and hear him.  
  
AUTHOR'S WARNING: This fic has been bumped up to a yaoi pairing between Sephiroth and Cloud. You have been warned so proceed at your own risk. So far, it is merely some shounen-ai, but it might turn a bit more in later chapters.  
  
Chapter 12 - Hercules, Hades, and Harbingers of Darkness  
  
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Hades shifted himself more comfortably on his silk pillow as his eyes scanned over the scroll floating in the air in front of him. His eyes narrowed as he read the information finally gathered about his blonde warrior peon, and he was forced to lean back in his chair as he quickly figured out what kind of prize he had his hands on. A twisted grin quickly took over much of his features and his fingertips touched together as he began to formulate ideas and think over this new information.  
  
"So, that is what a planetary Strong Heart looks like? He's not so tough." His grin only intensified as he continued to read the information. "And that crazy lunatic sniffing after Blondie's boots is his light fallen into shadow. How...very interesting." His gaze shifted to his vast black ceiling, weighing up the information now dropped into his hands.  
  
He was now very aware of why the blonde warrior was so hard to kill and to track down. It appeared that he had a Strong Heart in his grasp, but that the planet, which the blonde represented, was becoming interference to his plans of absolute world domination by trying to take Cloud back. The planet had even sent out a representative, a faction of itself, to retrieve the blonde from his grasp. He knew that he had felt something very different enter is realm only a few days prior, meaning that contact with the blonde had been made.  
  
"Hollow Bastion..." The mere mention of the name rang warning bells in his mind, but he silently ignored them as he thought about just how powerful the blonde warrior would be as a Heartless...that demon creation of uncontrollable darkness might. He had watched the confrontation between the two Generals of Hollow Bastion, and he had been drawn to the winged demon that had made a dramatic appearance, watching the power that the creature had exhibited. How he wanted to get his hands on that creature to exploit and use at his own whims.  
  
However, he recognized the danger of Hollow Bastion. That was the planet that the brat Ansem was from, and was determined to keep it alive until...whatever ultimate goal the stupid show-off had. Not only did Ansem want Hollow Bastion untouched, and that the keyblade brat was to be kept off of the planet for an indefinite period of time, but Ansem also warned him to keep Hollow Bastion's Strong Heart alive and perfectly safe until a specified time. He was distinctly aware of what might happen should he urge the blonde into full demon-hood, that Hollow Bastion would be crushed under the weight of its Strong Heart's darkness.  
  
But, to have such a creature under his thumb...  
  
Hades looked up sharply when he felt a strong presence enter his realm again, his grin fading slightly as he could hear boots marching down the hallway to his throne room. Oh, how he hated visitors! He growled in slight aggravation and banished the scroll away to look at it again at a later time, his grin quickly returning as one of his favourite peons shoved open the door of his throne room and stepped fully into view of him.  
  
He sighed as he felt the sudden influx of power into his realm, the screams of millions of souls being forced to take their place under his supervision. His fingers twitched as they sparked with new-found power, his hair flicking red as a shiver ran up his spine and his realm automatically expanded to accommodate the new souls that would forever remain under his control and feed him power.  
  
Soon, his gaze refocused, and he regarded the silver-haired man stalking silently across his floor towards him. He quickly quirked an eyebrow at the sight of blood spattered all over his peon's face, noting that Sephiroth was actually spattered with blood all over and the silver-haired man's gloves were drenched up to the elbows in quickly drying blood. It appeared to him that only the crazed General's hair was the only untouched part and still flowed in a feather-like manner down Sephiroth's back.  
  
"Welcome back, Wonderboy. It looks like you had some fun playing tag with ants." Hades smirked when the silver-haired man set a basket down in front of him, quirking an eyebrow before waving a hand and tossing the lid from the top. He leaned out of his throne over the basket, his gaze shifting up to regard Sephiroth when he had finished examining the contents of the basket. "I always like it when my psychopomps bring me happy presents...but, what the hell is that?"  
  
Sephiroth slowly crossed his arms across his chest and leaned over to regard the basket before sighing contently. "It is the head of an arrogant woman who thought that she could defeat me. I took it from her slowly so that she could enjoy the taste of my blade."  
  
Hades glanced down at the basket again. "Well aren't you just a sociable dancing monkey. I am guessing that you never played nicely as a child...perhaps you weren't hugged enough." He looked between Sephiroth and the basket before leaning back into his throne, studying the silver-haired man closely before clearing his throat. "Kay, you brought me a present for the first time...a wacked-out head in a basket...so what do I, the greatest god to ever jump from his father's mouth, owe to this bloody occasion...and if there is blood leaking on my stairs, you are so going on walky duty!"  
  
Sephiroth snorted and hopped into the air to seat himself, his gaze never leaving Hades. He did not completely understand what the big deal about such a threat would be, nor did he really care enough to really be concerned about it either. He casually gestured to the basket again. "I am proving that the world is destroyed and that my end of our bargain is fulfilled. Now that I have proven as such, you cannot harass me to do more of your bidding."  
  
"Hey, I can harass you whenever I want since I'm the god here and you're my meat puppet." Hades conjured up a puppet of meat and made funny little gestures by pulling on each string with his fingers. To make it more believable, he placed two meat bangs and a long sword on his little puppet. "See? My meat puppet...meaning you, Wonderboy."  
  
"Not for long. I will soon have my canary safely tucked in my arms, and my contract will be nothing but a distant memory." Sephiroth flicked some blood from his fingertips and crossed his arms, gaze fixed on Hades' flickering red hair before a smirk pulled at his lips. "I've worked for you enough, given more of my time and abilities to you without much complaint or demands. Now, I want to be free of this contract since it is now hindering me from grasping Cloud."  
  
Hades quirked an unimpressed eyebrow and nearly growled at the arrogance of his peon. He wondered when he had let his guard slip enough where the crazed lunatic could think of defying him. "Luckily, you have no rights, Wonderboy. I own you, so you stay where you are, serving me and kissing my feet when required."  
  
Sephiroth felt his eyes narrow and his fists clench at his sides, a flicker of anger shifting across his face. "I think not. I want Cloud, and you have done nothing but hinder me. I'm now wondering why I didn't just grab him after butchering a few of your useless peons." He let his feet return to the floor and ran a hand over the hilt of his sword, eyeing Hades. "Now, you end my contract willingly or I end it by getting Ansem to order it..."  
  
Hades felt his face go red with anger, and he had to restrain the urge to just blow his top, but he grabbed the armrests of his throne instead. "How do you know that little brat, Wonderboy? I thought only Zeus...and half of the other gods and goddesses...were into little boys."  
  
"If you weren't such an idiot, you might have actually looked into Ansem a little more." Sephiroth crossed his arms across his chest and smirked arrogantly. "Ansem is..." He actually had to struggle to admit his common lineage with his older brother, since he didn't like to admit any relation to Ansem, but if he could use his brother to get out of his contract, he would do it. "...Ansem is my brother...my older brother."  
  
Hades felt all the colour return to his face, and he blinked a few times before finally bursting into hysterical laughter, nearly falling from his throne. He only managed to right himself after nearly ten minutes of laughing, but his facial colour had turned a strange shade of red as he was forced to wipe a few tears away. "...Oh Wonderboy, you are finally starting to get a personality! And here I thought you were as lost a cause as Spiky..." He managed to right himself and return his facial colour to normal before sighing heavily. "Really, how do you know that insolent brat who thinks he can rule over me...the greatest god in all the land!"  
  
Sephiroth sighed heavily and wondered why he even bothered anymore. He should just go to Ansem and get a release of his contract. "I'll be sure to inform him what you think of him the next time that I see him...which will be in about five minutes." He turned on his heel and started to stalk out of the room, stopping when Hades seemed to...almost hastily call him back. "Don't worry, I'm sure Ansem will take your opinion in stride...like any mad scientist would."  
  
Hades again called Sephiroth back before scrutinizing the man fully, noting the silver-haired man's extremely serious expression. He had wondered why Ansem, in their last meeting, had ordered him to have a looser hold over Sephiroth, but he had never really thought that the two men were related in any way. Obviously, this rather small detail was about to put a huge crimp in his plans unless he could get the silver-haired man to make a mistake in front of Cloud. He did not like the potential of losing Sephiroth, but he was even more turned off the idea of being ordered to release the silver-haired man by Ansem.  
  
He sat back in his throne when Sephiroth began a slow but purposeful walk back in front of him, sighing heavily and rubbing his forehead. "You are going to give me grey hair by the end of this meeting and I already dye it enough as it is." He lifted a hand and brought Sephiroth's contract to hand before looking over at the silver-haired man in disgust. "Alright, this is the best that I'll do for you, Wonderboy. You have one more task to fulfill if things in my tournament go sour. Understood?"  
  
Sephiroth smirked and slowly nodded his head, pleased with these results. He had had enough of serving Hades, and he was currently trying to get his hands on Cloud to prevent the darkness from taking the blonde over any further. "This may have potential to please me. What is it that I must do?"  
  
"If the keyblade wielding brat manages to win my tournament...highly doubtful... you have to step in and challenge that brat. Just wipe the floor with him and you are free to go." Hades gritted out, tossing the silver-haired man's contract away in a random direction, shaking his head when the parchment impacted with a monster of his realm. "Once you are done fighting the keyblade wielding brat, your Spiky bird will walk right to you."  
  
"Right into my grasp...right where he should be." Sephiroth sighed longingly and nodded his head, resting one of his arms on the Masamune. "I agree to these terms of my contract ending. I'll take care of that brat, and you end the contract in time for my canary to fly into my arms."  
  
Hades quirked an eyebrow. "You know...this obsession can't be very healthy. It is kind of creepy...kind of like Hera creeps me out. I think you should really get your head checked out because you have obviously been hit there too many times." He made shooing motions with his hands, not wanting to have to silver-haired man too close to him, his features twisting into disgust. "You be in that tournament and take out that kid out if he gets through the Hades Cup...do you need me to repeat that? You kind have that lost, stupid look on your face?"  
  
Sephiroth scowled and turned away from Hades, waving a dismissive hand in the air as he walked towards the door and opened it, glancing back over his shoulder at the god, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "My canary had better come to me unharmed, or you will pay personally."  
  
He stepped from the room as Hades opened his mouth to reply. He let the door slam behind him before he allowed a contented sigh leave his lips as he leaned back against the black door, resting his head against it. "Soon, my little canary...you can rest your wings in my grasp..."  
  
Not so fast, cursed child. We have a slight problem with your little plan. Zax grinned when Sephiroth looked at him sharply, wiggling his fingers in a greeting before pushing himself off of the wall he had leaned himself against. He swaggered his way over to the former General, his grin not faltering even as Sephiroth scowled at him. Glad I caught you in such a good mood, pops.  
  
Sephiroth crossed his arms and continued to glare at the dark-haired man. "My mood was good until you showed up. What is it you want this time...Zax?"  
  
Zax laughed slightly and scratched the back of his head, grinning like an idiot since he really didn't want to be away from Cloud at the moment. However, he trusted that the blonde was alright conversing with Leon. His eyes twinkled with delight as he found Sephiroth now calmly regarding him. Cloud's doing better. He nodded to himself as he watched Sephiroth's expression soften at the mention of the blonde. And we have become aware that you have figured a way out of your contract as well as a final meeting with Cloud.  
  
"I have. Soon enough we shall battle like old times, and I make no promises about losing to him." Sephiroth lifted a hand when the dark-haired man started to protest, dismissing the other man's words with a shake of his hand. "However, I have agreed to work with you. Like you, Cloud is my priority. He is mine, but he is no good to me dead."  
  
Zax sighed heavily and shook his head. Cloud being dead doesn't help any of us because if he dies from the darkness, we all go with him...not that we've told him that, but still. He regarded Sephiroth and grinned again. We of the planet request that the battle with the keyblade master be...fixed in a sense. We need to you to let the boy pass so that he may seal Kingdom Hearts. He bit his lip slightly and crossed his arms, looking up at the black ceiling before idly kicking at the ground. Geez, Cloud would have been a great keyblade master. He was so close to it to...  
  
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow at the dark-haired man's rambling, before he recalled up some information that he had read from Ansem's diary, that the keyblade chooses a master randomly but can transfer to a stronger heart if it comes in contact with another strong heart. He rolled back on his heels and leaned against a nearby wall, eyes fixed on Zax. "Not only do you want me to lose to Cloud, but now you want me to lose to some kid?"  
  
...Yeah! That's a great idea. We're glad you suggested it. Geez, you aren't so bad, pops. Zax laughed a little nervously when Sephiroth's expression remained less than impressed with his suggestion. He lifted his hands as he tried to explain the planet's position to the silver-haired man. Look, we know this is a difficult request to make of you, but if you kill that kid, Kingdom Hearts will never be closed...meaning the Heartless will never stop coming. We need that door closed and that boy is the only one that can do it.  
  
"Won't the keyblade just choose another master if that one dies?" Sephiroth asked, keeping his patients as much as possible. The prospect of gaining a losing streak did not impress him at all, but he would listen to Zax's reasoning before he made a decision on whether it was worth losing. "A dead brat means the keyblade could get into Cloud's hands, since he is a strong heart."  
  
Zax began shaking his head as soon as Sephiroth started speaking, sighing heavily. The keyblade will never choose Cloud...not with his taint running so deep. Sure, it would be great if Cloud got the keyblade, but he could probably never use it because he is struggling too resist the darkness...the keyblade would probably abandon him and find someone else... someone who possibly has never lifted a sword before. His glowing gaze met the former General's equally glowing gaze as he bit his lower lip slightly. No, that kid knows how to use the keyblade, so we need him to get to Kingdom Hearts and seal the doors.  
  
Sephiroth slowly nodded, drinking in all the information before staring at his hand as he thought over the information. He shook his head slightly as he let out a sigh of exasperation, his gaze lifting back to regard the dark-haired man. "Hades has be contract set up so that I fight and kill that brat before it ends."  
  
Zax waved a hand in the air, digging up Sephiroth's contract and reading the contents over before grinning even more and pointing at one line in particular. Nope! It says here that your contract ends if you fight the kid. It says nothing about having to kill him or beat him. He showed Sephiroth the contract, pointing at the line in particular.  
  
Sephiroth looked at the line and quirked an eyebrow. Somehow the writing seemed different from Hades' hand writing, and he looked at Zax. "That isn't Hades' hand writing...some one has changed this contract."  
  
Zax snickered and nodded his head. Let's just say the planet has some powerful connections in high up places. I managed to convince Loki, guardian of Atlantis, to request a favour from our good temperamental pal Zeus. After Zeus found out what Hades was planning, he immediately granted us our favour, which was to change the contents of your contract. I think Zeus is mad though...so Hades...might be in a wee bit of trouble, but I haven't heard any explosions so far. He grinned and transported the contract away again, leaning close to Sephiroth. Will you help us out and let the kid win in a battle against you?  
  
"You are asking a lot of me, guardian. I am not one who likes to be used." Sephiroth growled out, reaching out to grasp Zax's sweater. "And I don't see much in it for me."  
  
Zax pulled out of Sephiroth's hold and took a step back, not at all angered by this slight refusal. He had already spoken to the planet and terms had already been made up as to what it could give Sephiroth in return for helping. If you do this, you can have your battle with Cloud and finish it the way that you want to, though we are certain of the victor. He folded his arms across his chest, gaze locking with Sephiroth's cool one. Also, should you lose your life to Cloud, the planet will keep your soul until Kingdom Hearts is sealed at which time, you will be returned to your previous state of being...meaning alive. He smiled slightly when Sephiroth's eyebrow rose. Not only that, we of the planet...grant you access to our strong heart when Hollow Bastion is free of the Heartless threat. We shall not inhibit any actions to take to make contact with the strong heart...you may be Cloud's only hope anyway.  
  
"So, if I let some kid win, you will let me fight Cloud, bring me back from the dead if I lose my life to him, AND give me complete access to him on Hollow Bastion?" Sephiroth bit his lower lip and had to fight the urge to rub his hands together when Zax nodded at him. He instead smirked very broadly and pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning against. "I think we may have ourselves a deal, guardian. One child's life for your terms." He held out his hand to shake on the deal, nodding his head when Zax shook with him.  
  
Zax smiled and nodded his head at Sephiroth before turning away and starting to wander down the hallway. He needed to check on Cloud, though he felt the blonde still safely talking with Leon, probably working out their odd differences. He glanced back at Sephiroth and waved a hand. See you on the flip side, pops. Don't mind the bright lights and the many voices when you get there.  
  
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow before scowling. "You make it sound like I'm going to lose to Cloud...that I have no chance of defeating him."  
  
Funny thing that... Zax smiled and waved his hand before disappearing entirely, returning to where he could watch Cloud, leaving Sephiroth to ponder his words. If the General figured out that fact that Cloud could not lose, he knew that Sephiroth would not be happy at all. He already knew the end of the showdown of fate of the Generals of Hollow Bastion, but it would be a bloody battle indeed.  
  
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Cloud shook a blonde spike out of his eyes as he leaned over his raised leg to adjust one of the belts on his pants, his fingers working almost mindlessly over the task. He eventually stood back up and let his leg slip from leaning on the bench in front of him, his hands moving to the belts around his waist as he makes certain all the buckles are tight and the bracer around his right hip was securely in place.  
  
Beside him, Leon was mimicking his actions, and Cloud was aware of the several stares both of them were receiving, especially considering the most either he and Leon had exchanged were grunts to questions asked by Hades. They had occasionally glanced over at the other, shrugged shoulders several times, and grunted at each other. It appeared that their similar behaviour was getting stares for the other warriors, and it was bugging Hades who kept accusing both of them of doing it on purpose. Of course, after Hades had made the accusations, both Cloud and Leon did it more to bother to god, and they eventually drove Hades away from them.  
  
Cloud glanced over at Leon who was now sitting sharpening the standard issue gunblade of Hollow Bastion. He could tell that there was something on the younger man's mind, but he was not about to question since this tournament was a fight that they were both about to lose. He ran his hands over his blade before lifting it in the air and swinging it from side to side several times, the muscles in his arms bulging as the massive piece of metal arched gracefully through the air. After feeling the blade's weight, he swung it up and over his shoulder, strapping it to his back before flexing his shoulders and arms.  
  
"General." Leon called softly, still not used to calling the blonde anything else since he had grown up his entire childhood with the name 'General Strife' waved about him. In his family, no one was allowed to call the blonde warrior by anything else, since Cloud was a hero of the lower districts. He doubted that he could ever call the blonde by anything else but General, and it was apparent that, even though the older man requested the use of a first name, Cloud has accepted his inability to do so at this point.  
  
He glanced up at the blonde, finding Cloud's attention elsewhere, having not heard him at all. He knew the General was an intense fighter, and it made him hold in a smile at how much the blonde had to remind both of them, probably more for Cloud's sake, that they were going to lose today. He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his blue eyes watching the blonde next to him before he cleared his throat. "General."  
  
Cloud blinked at the sound of Leon's voice, his gaze shifting down to regard the younger man. He shifted his weight when it became apparent that the brunette wished to speak with him about something, his body turning to fully regard the younger man. He quirked an silent eyebrow, indicating that he was listening to anything that Leon said to him, lifting a leg to lean on the bench, one of his elbows resting on the raised leg and his hand used to support his hidden chin.  
  
Leon shifted his weight, his gaze shifting from the blonde next to him to the floor before he finally just sighed heavy. "Aerith spoke highly of you. She considers you her father despite the lack of real relation." He cocked his head to the side slightly, considering his words for a moment before continuing to speak. "Though she never says it to you, I've heard her speak about you, except she doesn't call you by your first name...She refers to you as father."  
  
Cloud was wondering where this little conversation came from and where it was going since he now seemed a little lost. Why would Leon tell him such things? He already knew Aerith's fondness for him. "Is there something specific you are getting at?"  
  
Leon again shifted slightly. He was never very good at asking things, especially not from someone like General Strife who merely had to look at him for his knees to consider shaking when he was a child. "General...you are her father, not bound by blood, but by the strong bond between you." He drew in a long breath before finally forcing himself to stand, turning to face the blonde warrior. "General, I would like permission to court your daughter."  
  
Cloud knew that both of his eyebrows went straight to his hairline, not expecting this sort of question out of the brunette. He merely stood leaning on his elbow, blinking in slight shock as to what question that he was just asked to answer, probably looking a little bewildered in the process. This was probably the strangest thing that he had been asked by any man, but he silently regarded Leon in a newer...better light.  
  
Slowly, he stood upright, letting his raised foot step back onto the ground, staring Leon down until the younger man looked away from him. He silently took a step forward and lay a hand on the brunette's shoulder, forcing their gazes to meet again. He lifted his chin out of his cloak, his expression neutral as he regarded his adoptive daughter's suitor, probably her first. "There has been no suitor for her affections bold enough to face me and ask for permission, and I find it ironic that the same man who hated me not so long ago now forces himself to face my possible disapproval."  
  
"General, I know the timing is off, but this may be my only chance to ask." Leon replied, his eyes still locked with the glowing gaze of the blonde across from him. He shrugged his shoulders before taking a deep breath. "I love your daughter...there's no way around it. I would give her the world, but I will not make moves for her affections if I do not meet your approval...as is the way of the lower districts of Hollow Bastion. As her father, I request your leave..."  
  
It was Cloud's turn to sigh heavily and his gaze drifted away from Leon, his hand slipping back to his side. He could not really believe that Leon was keeping up with the formalities of their planet, but he silently approved of them nonetheless. His gaze eventually flicked back to the younger man, studying Leon before finally nodding to himself. "My daughter is a sweet woman, where I would see nothing but the best for her. I wish to see a smile light her face once more..." He looked back to the floor before nodding his head a few times. "I approve of you, Squall Leonheart. You have my leave to court my daughter. Take back your name with honour and bring the light back to Aerith's smile."  
  
He smiled as he felt relief flood the younger man and started to walk around the bench, moving towards the fight arena before stopping. He stood with his back to the younger man for a few seconds before suddenly drawing his blade and swiveling, the thick metal stopping inches from the brunette's throat. "However, if you hurt her, I will hunt you down like a dog and allow you to feel my blade once more." When Leon nodded at him, he withdrew his threat and restrapped his blade to his back, shifting his shoulders comfortably. "I...may not be here when Hollow Bastion is returned to its glory. If that is the case, bring order and peace again. Aerith would like that."  
  
"General, what are you saying..."  
  
"We have a fight to lose." Cloud interrupted before walking off, leaving Leon standing in the locker room. He knew that his words struck true, that after he completed all of his missions, he may just lose his life in the process. He took comfort in the fact that a good man would take care of his adoptive daughter, and he hoped that Aerith would find happiness even if he was not around to see her warm smile anymore. So long as Hollow Bastion was free and Leokas' daughter was safe, he could rest his weary soul in whatever pit of hell he would land himself in.  
  
Leon watched the blonde stalk away, nodding his head silently in respect of the older man. He sighed heavily, one of his most frightening feats accomplished, though he knew that none of his discomfort showed on his face...still, he knew that General Strife could read him easily, better than any other man. He would be certain to help the blonde out as much as possible for the growing debt that he had, first his attempt to kill the General and now approval in regards to Aerith. He would protect her, defend Sora, and keep an eye on Hades. He needed the General's help in freeing Hollow Bastion, almost as much as the blonde required his aid, though their requests were more of the silent nature, only a quick glance, nod of the head, or shift of weight explaining volumes between them.  
  
Slowly, he picked up his gunblade and headed up after the General as he heard their names being called, meaning that they were about to both face a humiliating yet very important fight. He stopped at the older man's shoulder, passing a silent glance over at the blonde before resting his hand on the hilt of his blade, reaching up to scratch his scar, silent determination settling between the two of them.  
  
Cloud closed his eyes briefly, reminding himself for about the hundredth time that this was a battle that he was required to lose. He had never lost willingly before, but this battle required his full attention to keep his darkness in check so that Sora could pass him by. He had more pressing matters to deal with, like removing his contract before Hades managed to trick him into staying around longer. He could no longer afford wasted time since his darker self now seem to haunt his dreams even when he was awake. He needed to get back to Hollow Bastion before he was fully taken over, and this was one big step in doing so.  
  
Slowly, he took his first step out into the fighting arena, glowing gaze staring straight ahead as Leon fell into pace beside him. He slipped his chin deeper into his cloak as his gaze fell on Sora, Donald and Goofy, all of their faces set in a sort of grim expression, one that spelled instant defeat. His gaze eventually fell to Leon as they both stopped at the same instance, standing side-by-side, an intimidating force for any opponent to have to face down. He smirked when the duck swallowed nervously under both his and Leon's hardened gaze.  
  
"Nice to see you again, Sora." Leon said coolly, lifting his sword to tap it against his shoulder before glancing at the General at his side, both of them looking hauntingly dominanting, the type of fighters that children dream about being when they grow up. And he could tell that Sora was slightly intimidated by them, not as much as Leon would have first thought, but still turned off by the sight of them. "I hope that you are doing well. It appears that we are going to be your opponents for today. Don't hold back against us because we will definitely not be pulling our punches. The Heartless don't take it easy on the Keyblade master and neither will we."  
  
Sora slowly nodded his head, looking between the two fighters, wondering whose insane plan it was to put Cloud and Leon together as a fighting team. He clutched the keyblade tighter in his hands, glad for its strength as well as the help of his companions beside him. He knew that this would be a difficult fight, but he was determined to give it his all and strive for victory. Even if he could take down one of these warriors, it would be a great feat that he could be proud of himself for.  
  
He nodded his approval at the two warriors across from him before a grin overtook his features. "I won't go easy on you guys if you don't go easy on me. Just give me a challenge, and I will be happy!"  
  
"Arrogance will get you killed." Cloud replied softly before unstrapping sword from his back and immediately jumping back when the bell rang to initiate battle, landing easily on the balls of his feet as his gaze flicked to Goofy who was charging him. Nodding his head, he leapt into the air at the dog, aiming carefully. He blinked when his attack was blocked, his sword sliding off of the metal shield before slamming into the ground, carving a sizable hole into the stone. He grunted as the edge of the shield was then slammed into his ribs before he managed to pull his blade free, gaze flicking to the dog immediately. "Alright, you have my attention."  
  
Cloud took a step forward to meet Goofy's next attack, parrying the blow harmlessly away before bringing his sword in a diagonal slice before he hit two move times, yet only one of his blows actually landed. He jumped back several feet as soon as his attack was over, settling back on his heels before allowing his gaze to flick to Leon, quirking an eyebrow to find both Sora and Donald attacking the brunette.  
  
Leon grunted as he was hit hard with a powerful ice spell, his forearm going numb briefly as his gaze flicked over to the sudden appearance of the keyblade, lifting his own blade to deflect the blow from impact, grunting softly under the strength. He quickly swiveled his blade in his hands and slashed at Sora, pulling his blow so that it was slower and less powerful than he could usually hit with, being forced to take a step back at Sora parried his hit back at him. He winced at the sudden feel of the keyblade smashing into his ribs below his guard and another ice spell struck him in the back. He dropped to one knee, wincing as pain raced up his body before grunting as the keyblade pummeled his shoulders, knocking him back a few feet.  
  
He had to hold in a smile at how well that Sora had improved, since this was supposed to be a serious fight, not one that was pre-determined. He knew that this beating that he was receiving was part of ensuring the freedom of the universe from the Heartless as well as aided the General's chance of vanquishing the darkness from Hollow Bastion and restore order. The pain that he was forcing himself to not retaliate to was well worth the thought of freedom, and he was more than willing to take one for the team in order to allow for Sora to pass them by to the next round of battle. However, he appreciated the fact that Sora was so good with the keyblade, and it made this defeat seem a little less humiliating.  
  
Sora landed on the flat of his feet as he brought the keyblade back at the ready, smiling as Leon climbed to a standing position again. He immediately launched at the other brunette, rolling to the side to avoid a fireball before smashing the keyblade into Leon's legs, buckling the older man as Donald forced Leon back again with a fireball. He jumped up to his feet and ran at Leon again, intent on taking down at least one of these veteran warriors that he was stuck in the ring with. Again, he avoided a blow from Leon's sword by bringing his keyblade up in time to parry the hit before throwing his strength to off balance the older man, his smile on growing as he found himself in a winning position.  
  
He was impressed with himself, that despite being stuck in the ring with both Leon and Cloud, extremely talented warriors of their own right, he was in the position to win if he put in the effort. His improvement with the keyblade must have been better than he first thought as well as his team combinations. It was certainly not that he was ripping the pair apart, since Leon had gotten him with more than a few good hits on both him and Donald, but he found it so much easier than it had played out in his head before the battle.  
  
He was shocked that Cloud did not move to help Leon, nor Leon to Cloud. The two were separate warriors fighting in the same ring but were not partners for a common victory. He found it strange that they only passed a few glances, almost glares, at one another, like after this battle they would fight each other. He had heard from Aerith and Yuffie that there was a strong dislike between the two, but he would have thought that they would have at least worked together for the tournament. Obviously, he had assumed wrong and had misjudged the strength of the discord between the two of them. In some ways, he was just waiting for them to suddenly attack each other at the distance that they kept from each other. Still, he was not about to pass up on this opportunity.  
  
Leon grunted as he was yet again hit with both a spell and the keyblade, and he would have been impressed at the synchronization between the two if he wasn't the one at the end of both attacks. Yet, he forced himself onward, his sword swinging out with deadly accuracy to smack Donald away several feet, sending the duck closer to the General who glared at him in return for the favour. He finished his own glare at the General just in time to parry away one of Sora's hits, but his numbed right arm still gave the advantage to the young brunette who was immediately back in his face and smashing through his weakened guard. He grunted again as his already tender ribs received yet another beating, wincing at the sound of cracking bone.  
  
He was forced to stumble back a few feet as he landed hard on his back, only warrior instincts forcing him to roll back to his feet again. He wrapped an arm around his broken ribs and spat out some blood to the stone, his gaze lifting to find Sora charging him again. However, he held up a hand to stop the fight and let his sword fall from his grasp, setting it in front of him in the manner of common gesture of defeat. "I'm finished..." He whispered softly, playing up the humiliation of defeat before glaring over at the General who now faced a double team but was obviously having a little more trouble accepting the planned defeat.  
  
Cloud's glowing gaze shifted to find Leon defeated and Sora now charging him. He sighed and rolled his eyes in exasperation before shooting a dark glare at Leon. "You're useless." He spat angrily at Leon as he raised his sword to guard against all of the oncoming attacks, using the full height and width of the metal to his full advantage before swinging his sword in a wide arc, forcing all three of his opponents away from him. After the swing, he swiveled the blade above his head before letting the tip touch down on the ground, and he found himself surrounded at all sides, a showdown that he intended to lose with as much dignity that he could manage.  
  
He stared down his three opponents as Leon silently sulked from the ring, pleased that they had both managed to play up some discord and distrust between them. He had not planned on sharing a glaring match with Leon, but he found that it had played out better to give Sora the illusion that they refused to work together. He had forced distance between them in the fight, just to allow Leon a better beating while he tested out Goofy's abilities, all of which he was impressed with.  
  
His gaze immediately widened as a silent signal was issued between the trio and they all attacked him at once, a lightning spell arcing towards him as Goofy's shield came up to smash into his right shoulder to prevent him from moving away from the spell while Sora charged him head on. He lifted his sword, using the flat side against Goofy's shield to push the dog away from him and took a step forward to meet Sora's attack while taking some of the damage of the lightning spell that send trembles up his legs. His demonic hand lashed out to seize Sora's attack in the air, stopping the intended blow from meeting with his shoulder.  
  
However, the moment that his demonic hand closed around the keyblade and the hit was stopped, he felt searing pain race up his left arm as the keyblade reacted against the darkness in his hand. He felt the light of the keyblade race along the black veins on his back, shoulders, and legs, setting his entire body in a convulsion of agony as he dropped heavily to one knee, unable to support his weight any longer. Yet, his hold on the keyblade remained for some reason that was beyond him, allowing the pain in his body to continue. He could no longer control the muscles in his body as began to suddenly seize on him, a small pained cry leaving his throat as he finally let go of the keyblade and fell forward to rest on his hands and knees.  
  
He remained shaking in the middle of the trio, having never experienced anything that painful in all of his life that he could remember. His eyes refused to refocus and his elbows threatened to give way at any moment, but he managed to hold himself from falling completely. All he could hear was silence, but he was not certain if it was because he could not hear anything anymore or that everyone in the ring merely stood in dumbfounded confusion to the sudden violent reaction in his body.  
  
Yet, the silence did not last long in his mind as he found himself no longer alone. He felt the brush of soft leathery wings around his shoulders and almost worried hands on his back, trying to draw him back upright. He shuddered heavily as he became very aware of his darker self's anger and hatred for the keyblade. 'Go. It was meant to be this way.'  
  
'Cursed keyblade...we will rip it from that punk's hands and crush his miserable head in our hands! We are not to be taken lightly, and death with flood this place when we paint the walls red with that brat's blood!' The demonic Cloud whispered harshly, gathering the other blonde into its arms as it continued to mutter black curses at the keyblade. It looked down as Cloud started to pull away from its hold. 'Lovely, you are injured. We will take care of you and destroy that insignificant whelp.'  
  
Cloud shook his head and pulled away from his darker self, putting a few feet of distance between them. 'No, it was meant to be like this. I will lose to Sora, and, if this is the way it must be, so be it.'  
  
The demon's eyes narrowed considerably. 'We do NOT lose.' It spat before waving a hand in air, a twisted smirk pulling at its lips as black tendrils wrapped around the other blonde's legs, arms and torso. It took a step up to Cloud before letting a demonic finger run down the other blonde's cheek before it bent and kissed the other, chuckling as Cloud recoiled from the darkness on its lips. 'So sweet, my lovely. We will be sure to make you scream for us when he run our bloody hands down your perfect body....' It stood straight, glowing gaze shifting to regard Sora. 'For now, we will utterly destroy the fools that stand against us and prevent our opening of the doors...Kingdom Hearts!'  
  
'No! I won't let you do this! It has to end like this!' Cloud struggled against the darkness holding him, managing to pull one of his arms free as he contested the strength of the darkness to get back to his feet, his eyes widening as his arms and shoulders were seized painfully by smaller hands and he found himself staring back at empty black orbs, two shadow children holding him. However, his gaze switched back to his darker self who watched him with an almost bored neutrality. 'I won't lose to you!'  
  
Demon Cloud's face contorted into a mock pitying pout as the other blonde struggled to get free. 'Rest, lovely. Your time will come after we have united together and your wonderful body has stopped begging for us.' It winked at the other blonde before turning back as Cloud was dragged back screaming in anger, a crooked smirk forming on its features. 'Save those lungs, lovely. We'll be sure to make a much better use out of them later.'  
  
Sora jumped back as the blonde fell, holding the keyblade at the ready, yet too shocked to attack Cloud again. He had never seen the keyblade react like that other than to the Heartless, and he knew for a fact that Cloud only had a small fragment of darkness, surely not enough for a violent reaction like that. His gaze flicked to the keyblade in his hands before looking back at the downed blonde, not certain if he should end the fight by attacking again or allowing Cloud time enough to recover again. He noted that even Leon looked worried from the stone steps nearby.  
  
However, he remembered the last time that he had allowed Cloud to recover, the explosion of power, the fight that had cost him both of his fighting partners when the blonde went slightly mental. He really did not wish a repeat of that fight so he forced determination forward as he ran at Cloud, lifting the keyblade high to smash into the blonde's shoulders and hopefully drop Cloud altogether.  
  
Sora was shocked when cold glowing eyes raised to meet his own, and he nearly felt repelled by the sudden lack of warmth that surrounded the blonde in front of him. He was equally shocked when Cloud backflipped away from his hit, gaze swiveling to regard the blonde that seemed so different from the cool calm General of Hollow Bastion...so much eviler. "Cloud...?"  
  
"Oh yes, cupcake." Cloud responded coolly, the wing on his back emerging and flapping several times to remove the kinks from the muscles supporting the appendage. He took a sinister step forward, his foot slipping underneath the hilt of his blade and flipping it back to his hands, a cool cocky smirk pulling at his features. He was strangely amused by the confused and horrified looks that he was receiving and swiveling the sword around his hand, gaze fixed right on the young brunette. "We are bored with you, cupcake...so, we have decided that a little blood finger painting is in order." He set his footing into the ground and concentrated slightly, bringing the darkness forward around his body as red energy crackled, eyes flicking open to stare at Sora. "Farewell."  
  
Sora leapt to the side just in time to avoid the blonde's sword from impaling him as Cloud began to rise from the ground. He immediately swung the keyblade down on the blonde's shoulder, his eyes widening in sudden realization as he found the blow deflected off of the crackling red energy that surrounded the blonde. He felt his breath catch in his throat as he was slammed hard with Cloud's sword, flying back several feet before finally landing on his back. He looked up just in time to see the blonde bearing down on him again, and he felt himself almost sickened by the haunting cruelty that Cloud's glowing eyes held.  
  
He closed his eyes as the blonde's massive sword swung down, raising the keyblade in a half-attempt to deflect the blow, his eyes widening as Goofy suddenly leapt into Cloud's path and shielded him from the hit. He immediately rolled to his feet and swung the keyblade at the blonde, again surprised when the blow was deflected when his sickness only grew with the realization that Cloud could probably not be injured in this state. "Goofy, he can't be hurt! Just run for now!"  
  
Sora immediately took off at a sprint across the arena, trying to put some distance between himself and the blonde warrior, rolling to the side when he felt Cloud closing in on him, narrowly avoiding a hit. He pushed himself back up to his feet before looking over his shoulder to find Cloud again bearing down on him and jumped to the side, allowing the blonde to overshoot him. He instantly ran from the blonde, resting the keyblade across his shoulders as Goofy again made movements to give him time to flee. However, he turned and faced Cloud when Donald yelled a warning at him, the keyblade lifting to parry the blow aimed at him, surprised by the strength that the blonde put into the hit.  
  
He was knocked from his feet under the weight of the blow, falling back to lie on his back from rising to sitting position, gaze locking with Cloud's cold one. He lifted the keyblade in front of his face in a weak attempt to protect himself as the blonde smirked at him when he suddenly remembered a message that he had forgotten to deliver so long ago.  
  
Why he felt the urge to state the message now was beyond him, but he needed to try anything to get Cloud to come down from this state. This was the only thing that he could currently think of while facing down death. "Don't Cloud! Aerith told me to tell you not to do anything rash! She said there would be people besides her that would be sad if something were to happen to you!"  
  
Cloud shook off the words as something that a desperate simpleton would speak as he lifted his sword in the air, ready to crush the pitiful whelp. He swung the blade down just before his eyes widened as heavy, yet determined hands landed on his mental shoulders and ripped him back from control. He turned to regard the other blonde who was still mostly covered in tendrils of darkness, but fighting back still. 'Stop this, lovely. The whelp means nothing to us. Go and rest yourself while we take out the garbage.'  
  
'No, Aerith needs me. I will free Hollow Bastion, and not even you will stop me from that. When the planet is free, perhaps then will you and I have another meeting. I won't let you win right now, not when I am so close.' Cloud pulled his darker self back further in his mind before stepping up to take control again and forcing the darkness from his mind and back again. 'Aerith...You always know how to breech the darkness with your warmth and smile. Thank you....'  
  
Sora gasped as the blade swinging towards him once again stopped in midair, eyes opening to find the blonde slowly returning to stand in front of him, all of the crackling energy gradually dissipated, and Cloud, General of Hollow Bastion, was again standing in front of him, looking tired, but back. He immediately jumped to his feet as Goofy rushed the blonde, readying the keyblade again until he found Leon suddenly between them and Cloud. "Leon?"  
  
"It's over! This fight is over." Leon stated while waving his hands in the air to stop all attacks as he felt the General slowly sinking to the ground. His gaze immediately met with that of Sora. "You have your victory. The General is defeated so stop attacking." He winced as he let his hands fall back to his sides and brushed against his broken ribs, but he nodded his head when Sora dropped off the intended attack.  
  
Cloud forced himself back to his feet slowly, blinking when Leon helped to support his weight, slightly breathless from the fight against his darkness. He lifted a hand and let his sword fall to the ground, showing that he admitted that he was defeated and would fight no more in this tournament. He silently nodded at Leon thanks for helping before finally pushing himself off of the other warrior's shoulder and once more stood on his own two feet, raising his glowing gaze to Sora. "Win. I have other battles that require my attention." He immediately turned, picked up his sword, and walked away to the locker room to collect the Nailbat for his final battle against Hercules, shaking the disorientation from his mind on the walk.  
  
Sora moved to follow Cloud, not certain that the blonde was alright. He again was stopped by Leon stepping in his path, their gazes meeting on equal terms. "Is he going to be alright?"  
  
Leon placed his hands on his hips and glanced over at the retreating back of the General before turning back to fully regard Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "The General carries the weight of his world on his shoulders. Let him go." He said softly before nodding at Sora and also beginning to walk away. "Good fight, Sora...and good luck on the rest of your battles."  
  
"Right! I will do my best!" Sora called back to Leon before turning to regard his next opponent, determination written all over his face.  
  
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Cloud stood silently facing his locker when Leon approached from the fighting arena, his fingers working mindlessly to attach his newest weapon to his belt. He set his chin deep into his cloak and his thoughts remained stationary as he checked all of his straps, clothing, and belts, though he was vaguely aware of a dark presence pacing in the back of his mind at the edge of his consciousness.  
  
He looked up when Leon stopped beside him, gaze shifting to regard the younger man before slipping down to what the brunette was holding out to him. He instantly recognized a healing potion and shook his head, his gaze returning to his locker before he shut the door. "You are more injured than I am." Cloud stated when Leon continued to hold the potion out to him.  
  
"You are fighting again today, and I am not. You need this more than I do. I can take the time to go back to Traverse Town and get another one." Leon sighed in slight frustration when the blonde again refused his offer before just seizing Cloud's hand and forcing the potion into the older man's hands. "Take it, General."  
  
Cloud looked down at the potion before sighing in aggravation and tucking it away, not in the mood to be fighting with the younger man at this point. "Keep an eye on Hades and Sora. I don't have much time to get this done."  
  
"Was that really the darkness that took you over?" Leon asked quietly.  
  
"Yes." Cloud replied simply, not really willing to elaborate on that fact. He casually strapped his sword to his back and turned to regard Leon fully, their gazes meeting. "Take care of Aerith for me."  
  
Leon silently nodded. "Take care of yourself, General. I would hate to have to fight you again when you are flying around like that." He grinned slightly and patted his sword fondly, nodding to himself when he found a small smile pulling at the edges of Cloud's lips. "Don't let go, General. You carry the weight of the planet on your shoulders."  
  
"I know." Cloud replied softly as he lifted a hand and gathered dark energy around himself before pulling the teleportation spell over his body. He vaguely wondered where Zax had gone, surprised that he had not seen or sensed the dark-haired man nearby at all today.  
  
He opened his eyes in time to know that he was falling, through the foliage of a tree no less, blinking as he found himself narrowly missing tree branches on his decent towards the fast approaching ground. He sighed in exasperation to his inability to master teleporting in a normal manner and reached out a hand to grasp a nearby tree branch, grunting as he swung and was forced to bring his other hand up just to steady himself.  
  
He remained holding onto the branch for a few seconds before finally flexing his wing and beginning a more graceful decent to the ground, sighing when his feet made contact with solid ground again. He passed a glare up at the offending tree before beginning to walk in search of Hercules for their first and last real encounter. He was in the mood for taking out some aggression on another creature, and it just so happened that he could do so on Hercules. All he had to do was find the demi-god.  
  
So he wandered around the small forest, all of his senses scanning for any sign of Hercules. He eventually left the small forest to step out into a vast field of rich green grass, his gaze finally falling on his target at the far end of the field, training. His hand went to his belt as he began stalking through the knee-length grass, not bothering to cover up his noise as he approached.  
  
He almost casually pulled the Nailbat free as he closed the distance between himself and the demi-god, allowing all of his pent up aggression and frustration to his current situation to rise to the forefront of his mind as Hercules turned to regard him. He set the Nailbat on his right shoulder and stopped when they were a few feet away, shifting his footing as the veins in his back and legs slipped a little deeper thanks to his dark mood and need to get out a little frustration on the other man. "I've been looking for you."  
  
Hercules was surprised to see the blonde, especially in his training grounds. It was rare that anyone visited him in this place, and even rarer that it was someone from the Coliseum. He wondered if the blonde came up here to train with him, though by the look that Cloud wore, he was not certain if it was for training. Still, he would be kind to the blonde as it was his duty as a hero. "Hey there, I'm surprised to see you, Cloud."  
  
"That's General Strife to you." Cloud shifted his weight from foot to foot, gaze never leaving Hercules, and he really began to hate that almost constant smile. He focused on that mild annoyance so that he could ignore the fact that he was about to murder an innocent man in order to further his own selfish goals of getting released from his contract. If he didn't think about that fact, he would be able to crush Hercules easily, but it was a rather callous way of thinking. Still, he hated losing and it was about time that he showed off some skill in the manner of fighting.  
  
"Alright...General." Hercules ran a hand down his arm, slightly uncomfortable with the sudden coolness around him. He couldn't really place the feeling, but it felt like the temperature around him had suddenly dropped, a feeling he definitely did not like. "So, what can I do for you? You are obviously here for a reason, and I doubt it is to spar with me since there is the Coliseum for that."  
  
Cloud shook a blonde spike from his eyes and glanced over at the Nailbat set on his shoulder, his eyes lazily moving back to the demi-god across from him. "I'm here to settle the battle that we have yet to fight. And after that fight is won, I will take your life." He winced as his skin felt a little colder than normal and the black veins threatened to dig deeper into his being. He could vaguely hear his darker half pacing nearby like a caged animal, but he ignored it.  
  
Hercules stood silent for a few moments, trying to figure out where he had crossed this man so wrongly in the brief time that they had known each other. He was slightly uncomfortable with the casual death-threats that he kept getting from the blonde, who felt like a good warrior in his mind. Still, he was not about stand down from a death-threat, especially not when the man across from him seemed to be looking for a fight. He had no weakness, so he was fine in a battle with Cloud. "If you wish to spar with me, I have no problem with that. However, I don't really appreciate your method of challenging me. They seem more like you are threatening my life."  
  
"I am threatening your life." Cloud stated coldly, finding himself sounding too much like Sephiroth at this point. However, he was aware of his dark self on the move in his mind like a prowling wolf skulking in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity. For the first time, he allowed it, his gaze flicking back to notice a shifting in his shadow. "I have a contract to fulfill, and you are currently the only thing standing in my way of ending it. Your life is forfeit as far as I'm concerned."  
  
"A contract? Could it be...Hades employed you?" Hercules immediately dropped down into a defensive stance, now fully aware of why the blonde was so edgy around him all the time. He should have known that Hades would try to off him again.  
  
Cloud smirked slightly and nodded his head. "So, you are finally catching on. Your life to end my contract." He shifted the Nailbat from resting on his shoulder to resting against his thigh as he began a stare down with Hercules. He shifted his weight until the blade on his back moved more comfortably and his wing slowly made its appearance above his cloak, taking his first step to the left, forcing Hercules to move to the right to keep the same distance between them. Slowly, he began to force them to circle each other, keeping the Nailbat posed for an opening to make strong contact with any part of Hercules' body. Yet, he found that he had the demi-god's full attention at the moment.  
  
"Oh! I didn't miss the party! Oh, thank me for that!" Hades stepped out from behind a tree and brushed off his robes, a maniacal grin pulling at his features to see the blonde facing off against Hercules. He drifted over a little closer, wanting to feel the full pleasure of Hercules' bloody defeat that had been long time coming. "Hey, Blondie, you didn't tell me when you were going to lay my holy smack-down."  
  
"Hades!" Hercules shifted his attention away from the blonde as Hades appeared nearby, his brows knitting together in anger. "What is the meaning...!?"  
  
Cloud's eyes narrowed as Hercules finally removed some attention from him and immediately swung the Nailbat with deadly accuracy and speed, the molded wood smashing a crushing blow into the sandy-haired man's jaw, the audible cracking of bone echoing around the silent field along with the overjoyed laughter of Hades. However, he was concerned with none of that as the Nailbat in his hands shattered under the strength of his blow, sending splitters scattering around the field as he jumped back a step and his hand right hand settled on his sword, pulling it in front of him. "Your death for my freedom. It's nothing personal, but you must be destroyed. Omnislash...."  
  
'All old useless dogs must be put down at some point, lovely.' Cloud's darker half called before Cloud caught a sudden movement from his back, like his shadow had suddenly jumped up. Cloud suddenly blinked as he found himself looking over Hercules' falling shoulders to find his demon self flying at the demi-god in the same manner as he was. For a moment, he thought it was an illusion, that it was just his mind playing tricks on him and taunting him with what he was becoming, but he knew that not even his mind could rip something like that out. The smirk that flickered on his darker self's face also assured him of the fact that the demon was in fact there. 'Let us double-team with the famous omnislash, lovely.'  
  
Hades rocked back on his heels as he was suddenly faced with two powerful peons charging Hercules' falling form, both of which were moving too quickly for normal mortals to capture. He could feel the power radiating off of the demonic blonde as both bore down on Hercules, dark strands of darkness slipping from the demon's form as the distance suddenly closed and both men raised swords in the same manner. "Wow, I should have brought popcorn...and a towel. There is going to be a lot of blood on the floor after those two are done with Jerk-ules. I wonder if I can keep both puppies...though I think both need a little neutering...god forbid they breed." He cringed slightly. "I'd have spiky, brainless punks with no personality...just having one is bad enough."  
  
Cloud flew into the Omnislash, his sword swinging down with lightning fast movements that were mirrored by his demonic self. Each step, each stroke of the sword, each shift of weight was perfectly mirrored as he performed the extremely technically difficult movements, all of the first fourteen sword strokes hitting brutally before he leapt back a step. His gaze met with that of his demonic self as they both took to the air for the final powerful blow, pulling their swords back as if about to hit one another before they both turned their attention down to Hercules, their blades slipping beside each other as they landed the last hit.  
  
'He had no chance, my lovely.' The demon chirped almost too happily as it stood straight again, lifting a foot to pin the downed Hercules to the ground, its large wings folding neatly at its shoulders. It casually stepped up to the other blonde, its dark leather clothing moving with every shift of muscle before its cold gaze shifted back to regard Hades who had grown silent with the sight of the both of them standing together. He leered at Hades before attempting to slip an arm around the other blonde's waist. 'We make the greatest team, lovely.'  
  
Cloud shoved his darker self away from him, glaring as the demon that slipped in behind him and kissed his neck before he could prevent the action, again swatting the demon away from being in direct contact with him. He passed a glare over his shoulder, blinking when he found his darker self merging with his shadow before disappearing entirely, his gaze immediately flicking back to Hades who, for once, seemed unable to speak.  
  
Instead, he walked towards Hercules' fallen form, flipping the unconscious and thoroughly beaten demi-god so that he could look down on Hercules' face. His gaze flicked to Hades as he raised his sword in the air, ready to remove the demi-god's head only upon the order from Hades.  
  
Hades grinned and folded his hands in front of him, more than a little pleased with both the defeat of Hercules, his long-time enemy, and the appearance of the blonde's other more... desirable side. He couldn't have asked for more on this day, except possibly the destruction of the keyblade master, but he knew that Sephiroth was now taking care of that. He looked between the blonde and the helpless demi-god at Cloud's feet. "I don't harass you to stand there, Blondie! I want some heads to roll...well, only one at this point, but I hope you can use that hunk of metal well enough to not miss on this. If you do miss, you're fired."  
  
Cloud silently rolled his eyes before looked down at Hercules and nodding his head at the unconscious warrior. "The demon was right...you had no chance. It's nothing personal, but I need to get home before...before Aerith's smile fades from my memory." He shifted his weight as he brought his sword down with deadly accuracy, closing his eyes at the sound of metal cutting cleanly through flesh before he felt his blade suddenly stop before the cut was fully made, eyes snapping open to look down at the glowing neck of Hercules. "What the...?"  
  
Hades stalked over to figure out what had suddenly happened, glaring down at Hercules who just wouldn't die for him. "Geez, Jerk-ules, just die!" He rolled back and considered why Zeus' useless son, the thorn in his side for years, just wouldn't die at the blonde's hand. He glanced between the blonde and Hercules before sighing in exasperation. "Must I do everything myself?" He looked at the blonde warrior and made some shooing motions with his hands. "This is a job for a real god, Spiky, and since you aren't a god...thank the gods, excuse my slight curse...I will have the honour of getting the last hit and taking all of the credit for it."  
  
He dusted his hands together and glared at Hercules before grinning and lifting a hand at the demi-god's chest, covering his eyes with his other hand. "Oh, I can't look. This is simply too tragic! The loss of my nephew!" He immediately pulled his hand away again and grinned maniacally over at the blonde warrior. "Oh, who am I kidding! I want to see this blubbering waste of space splatter!"  
  
"Hades! What in the Underworld are you doing?!" A loud, dominating voice bellowed, full of accusation and anger.  
  
Cloud immediately swiveled on his feet, holding his sword at the ready as he was faced with another god, and he knew exactly which one it was without having to be told. "Zeus..." He silently bowed his head out of whatever respect he could muster at this point, letting his sword tip rest in the ground as the powerful god seemed much too focused on Hades at this point.  
  
Hades pulled his hand back at the sudden appearance of his younger brother, and royal pain in the behind, Zeus. "Oh, it's...you!" His gaze switched down to Hercules before his fingers fumbled together as he began to think of an excuse as to why he was about to slaughter Hercules. His gaze then switched from Hercules to Cloud and a devious smirk pulled at his lips as Zeus began to stalk over to him. "Zeus, little brother and virgin slayer...oh wait, that wasn't the right thing to say in public..." He looked at Cloud again. "I just showed up to stop that little punk kid from hurting my dear nephew! I was just about to cast him down in the Underworld and exact horrifying punishments...blah blah blah. Don't worry, I have the situation under control...or I did before your ugly self showed up."  
  
Cloud took a step back as Hades now seemed intent on blaming the entire thing on him, which was only partially true. He looked away when Zeus' gaze fell on him, but he was surprised when he felt no anger in that gaze. He lifted his eyes, and he became very aware that he would receive no punishment for his actions in the defeat of Hercules.  
  
Zeus glared at Hades, stopping when they were only a few feet apart, crossing his arms in front of him. He sighed heavily when the other god began to fidget nervously and nodded his head over to the blonde warrior. "He is free of you. His contract is void as of this moment in time." He lifted a hand when Hades was about to issue some rude comment, silencing the other god. "And YOU are in a lot of trouble. Loki has informed me of the happenings of the Underworld and your plot to kill my son and overthrow me! How many is it now, Hades? Five? Ten?"  
  
Hades set his hands on his hips, his own intolerance suddenly rising. "Oh please, give me some credit here, Zeus!" He pulled a dusty scroll out of his robes and quickly flipped through it before tucking the scroll back in the safety of his robes again. "To date, I've made eighteen attempts to de-throne you for my own selfish egotistical self and another twenty-two attempts to get rid of that miserable brat you call an illegitimate son!"  
  
Zeus looked down at Hercules before glancing back at Hades. "Hercules is my legitimate son, Hades."  
  
"Oh come on, with as many as you have, how in the heavens can you even keep track anymore!" Hades replied heatedly, huffing softly when Zeus glared at him.  
  
Cloud took a quick step away from this potentially violent scene, and he was suddenly glad that he had no sibling to bicker with. He stopped in his tracks when Zeus suddenly looked at him and his chin slipped more into his cloak before he watched the thunder god nod at him, and he got the distinct feeling that he was being dismissed by Zeus, allowed him freedom to do as he pleased with. He bowed his head deeply in thanks and immediately turned away, leaving Zeus to bicker with Hades.  
  
He stalked a distance away so that he could avoid listening to the two gods arguing before stopping and gathering his breath, readying himself for a return to the Coliseum, for the trials ahead, for the...  
  
'Showdown of Fate awaits us, lovely. Let us show darling what we are made of.' The demon spoke softly, waiting for the perfect opportunity to take over.  
  
"It's time to go home." Cloud replied, shoving his darker self away from his mind before gathering his energy for another teleportation.  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Yay! It didn't take me an extreme amount of time to get this chapter done! I am so happy and now, the moment everyone (well, maybe not everyone) has been waiting for. Next chapter is "The Showdown of Fate", the most complicated battle between Cloud and Sephiroth. Oh boy, that is going to be a doozy to write, but I will do it!  
  
And yes, some yaoi is coming up to. I've been slacking a little bit with the serious storyline, but next chapter will have a little bit too. I'm not sure if I'm up to writing a lemon, but I haven't decided. I'll jump/fall over that hurdle once I get there.  
  
I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for all the awesome reviews. They are sometimes the only things that keep me going writing! 


	14. The Showdown of Fate

Darkness Rising By Chibi Nataku  
  
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: ' indicates a dream-like voice, and indicates the speech of Zax 'cause...well, only Cloud can usually see and hear him.  
  
AUTHOR'S WARNING: This fic has been bumped up to a yaoi pairing between Sephiroth and Cloud. You have been warned so proceed at your own risk. So far, it is merely some shounen-ai, but it might turn a bit more in later chapters.  
  
Chapter 13 - The Showdown of Fate  
  
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Sephiroth slipped in the shadows to gaze at the fighting arena where he had just fought his last battle under the contract of Hades. His cat-like eyes focused on the youth chatting with two animals, his hand travelling down his chest to feel the bruises that he managed to acquire thanks to that blasted keyblade.  
  
He had never met an opponent that could injure him with mere touches, but he suspected that the keyblade had reacted to the darkness and added an extra rather hard punch to each of the hits he received. The keyblade was an item to purge the darkness, and Sephiroth understood why Cloud had dropped in a heap when grabbing the keyblade, since he had now been at the receiving end of an attack from it. He also realized that Cloud was in much worse condition by the way the blonde had been affected, only slightly more harmed than himself.  
  
Hey, pops. We liked the way you lost with both tact and style. Very nice. Zax commented as he stepped up beside the silver-haired man, grinning like a maniac when Sephiroth glared at him. Their relationship was developing such a nice love-hate taste to it. You're pride looks a little bruised. Maybe we could get you a bandage.  
  
Sephiroth had to fight the urge to strangle the dark-haired man, instead sending his best death-glare at Zax. "Has anyone told you that you are, by far, the most annoying and bothersome spec on the face of the planet?"  
  
Zax quirked an eyebrow before lifting his hands and pointing his index fingers at his face. Hello, fragment of the planet. He was amused that he had to remind Sephiroth of that fact. Besides, we were created to be Cloud's guide... so we really didn't have much association with anyone else...well, except you now!  
  
"I feel so honoured...." Sephiroth managed to grit out between clenched teeth, sending another glare at Zax just for good measure. "What is it you want this time, guardian? I've done what you have requested of me. The brat has gone free, just as I promised." His gaze switched from the keyblade master back to the dark-haired man standing beside him, sighing heavily.  
  
Zax nodded his head, pleased with Sephiroth's ability to keep up on their bargain. Cloud is on his way. We can feel him drawing closer. He passed a sideways glance at the silver-haired man, noting the small twitch in Sephiroth's cheek, the only movement the former General made. Are you still serious about going through with this, pops? You can't wait until Hollow Bastion is free?  
  
Sephiroth kept his eyes focused straight ahead, not willing to look at the dark-haired man standing beside him. "I've waited too long for this opportunity to cage my little canary." He replied neutrally, not allowing Zax any idea on what he was really thinking.  
  
Things have changed, pops. We can feel it in you...ever since Cloud ejected you from his dream...the wheels have been turning in that head of yours. Zax crossed his arms in front of his chest, eyes closing briefly as he felt Cloud entering the Coliseum through the darkness. The planet knows you are different...you cannot tell us otherwise.  
  
Sephiroth turned to regard Zax fully. "So what if things have? Nothing will prevent this fight from happening."  
  
Zax slowly nodded his head before turning away and stuffing his hands into his pockets, not surprised by the tension in Sephiroth's voice. Cloud is here. He took one glance at the silver-haired man, noting another small twitch. He immediately walked off into a shadow, disappearing from Sephiroth's side to go and check on Cloud.  
  
Sephiroth watched Zax leave, his fists clenching at sides as his gaze shifted to the ground, not certain if he was more angered with the fact that the dark-haired man had pointed out the change, or the fact that Zax was right. "Most...annoying spec," he muttered to himself before sighing and crossing his arms across his chest, his gaze shifting back to look at the now empty fighting arena. "The showdown of our lives, Strife...one battle, one victor. Nothing will stop this battle...I've waited for too long for this. I will defeat you so that you may rest your wings in peace for awhile, no worries, no more battles, no more darkness... just your beautiful sleeping form next to mine."  
  
He waved a hand in the air and teleported to the top wall of the Coliseum that over looked the fighting arena, walking along the even stone until he found a comfortable place to his liking and crouched down. His gaze shifted around the arena, studying it intently before his eyes flicked to the door where he knew that Cloud would walk. His gaze washed over the doorway, planning out his movements, finally deciding that he would face off against Cloud in the middle of the arena. He decided it would give them both the room needed for a good fight, and it would most likely reduce the chance of Cloud leaving through the door again, though the chances of that are slim already. He knew General Strife would never back down from a challenge.  
  
But, he had come to realize that he would not be facing the blonde General of Hollow Bastion. He would be facing off against Cloud Strife, only son of Elecia, strong heart of the planet, lost child of the darkness, youngest Royal Guard that never grew. He had come up with too many titles for the blonde warrior, no longer settling for 'his canary' now that he had encountered Cloud so differently in that dream. He had come to realizations about the blonde that had almost made him worry for the wisdom that Cloud had used to hide all those secrets away. Even he recognized when such things became unhealthy, and now Cloud was paying the ultimate price for those secrets.  
  
So things had changed after that encounter, after Cloud had found out about his connection to Elecia, after the blonde had willingly allowed him to hold Cloud. He had felt the brief relaxation of battle-honed muscle under his touch, and he had almost thought that Cloud was about to reach up and embrace him back. That brief shift of weight against him, that feeling of near acceptance of his embrace had changed everything, a large wall protecting the blonde crumbled before him, allowing him brief access to the true Cloud Strife, the lost lonely child living a lie.  
  
Yes, even in his own obsessive insanity, he knew in the back of his mind that things had changed between himself and the blonde warrior. Certainly, their encounter had only affirmed in his mind the battle at hand, but the outcome had changed significantly from his first intents. He still wanted to defeat Cloud, and he still wanted to wave around that defeat in front of the blonde for the worlds to see. However, he could no longer bring himself to consider killing Cloud after he had caged the blonde and had his little fun; rather, he could almost bearly consider caging Cloud at all.  
  
In some ways, all he wanted was to defeat Cloud for the blonde's health and drag the younger General off away from the darkness, away from the loneliness, away from the festering wounds. Not purely selfish reasons for the thought, but he thought that he was the only one that could defeat Cloud and be able to draw Elecia's only child out into the open. He had taken Cloud's reactions, slight warmth, and hesitation as a sign that the blonde was stepping up to him; in fact, Zax had mentioned on several occasions that he was the only thing that got reactions out of Cloud anymore. Once he had defeated the blonde, he could use those indications to his advantage so that Cloud would come to him and rest quietly where no other element could bother the blonde.  
  
So his goals had changed in their intents. He still was driven by an obsession to defeat Cloud Strife and capture the younger man, but he was more willing to coax the blonde into his arms rather than simply forcing Cloud into it. He could divert some of his energies into the upcoming challenge of drawing the blonde to him and pressing Cloud into a more safe neutral zone; although, he would definitely not be against some affection if he could get some. He knew that the challenge would not be enacting affection of the blonde, more the real challenge was to get Cloud to be affectionate back, especially when he was certain Cloud was the biggest naive virgin that ever walked the planet.  
  
Of course, this new challenge was after he defeated Cloud, which he had failed to do on their previous three fights. He was aware that the blonde would be a huge challenge to defeat, even if Cloud was hindered by darkness and weakened. His last spar with the blonde had been after Cloud had done two days of night shift and not slept for one of those days, and Cloud had managed to come up with a victory, not an easy one, but a victory all the same. He knew that Cloud would not fall easily, but he was more than aware that in a serious fight, General Strife would fall back on the devastation left by the Omnislash. If he could fend of that attack, he knew that Cloud would be off balanced and tired from it, but no less beatable.  
  
"Come to me, my canary." He whispered to the fighting arena, gazed fixed on the entrance way. As soon as Cloud moved far enough away from the entrance, he would make his presence known by dropping down into the blonde's path, starting the showdown. He had anticipated this moment for years, and he would play any game that Cloud wished to play so long as he was the victor at the end. "When all the games are over, you will disappear into a different kind of darkness, the solitude where you may rest your wings, little canary. Come and let the showdown begin...."  
  
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Cloud opened his eyes to find himself staring up at the sky around the Coliseum, a soft growl of frustration leaving his throat as he once again found himself unable to teleport anywhere properly. He shifted in his position on his back, wincing as the sharp stone of the steps that he was currently lying down dug into his already tender back, making the position all the more uncomfortable.  
  
He groaned softly as he struggled to sit up again, eyes widening as he found himself slipping down the steep few stairs, grunting as he failed to grab onto to anything to stop his slipping. He let out a more unceremonious grunt as his bottom hit each step on the way down before finally ending up on his back again, another sigh of frustration leaving his lips. He shifted slightly, checking his back and pride, finding both sore with the unceremonious fall.  
  
Geez Spike, you are not having a good day. Zax appeared next to Cloud's side, a small grin on his lips as he bent to help his friend back up. He took the time to dust the blonde off, noting Cloud's somber mood. He wrapped an arm around the blonde's tense shoulders, bending his face down to peer beneath Cloud's bangs, forcing their gazes to meet. Come on, let's get you a warm shower and clean clothes. You look like crap.  
  
Cloud shot a glare over at Zax, not fully meaning it. "Thank you, Mr. Abandonment," he growled out before beginning to walk across the open stadium, listening the gravel crunch beneath his boots before finally stopping. "I'm tired, Zax."  
  
Zax glanced over at Cloud before smiling warmly, ruffling the blonde's hair playfully with a hand. He quirked a dark eyebrow when Cloud accepted the treatment without a word, a bit unusual for a grown man. However, he kept his mood light, wanting to bring a smile back to Cloud's face again. Don't worry, Spike. You can have a nap after we get you cleaned up. Everything is going to be fine!  
  
"No...not that..." Cloud slowly lifted his head to regard Zax before finally allowing his weight to lean heavily on his friend, resting his head on the dark-haired man's shoulder. "I'm tired...I'm losing my grip, Zax. He's starting to manifest in the real world instead of just my mind, and I'm having trouble resisting." He lifted his eyes when Zax stiffened with his words before sighing heavily. "I don't know how long I can keep this up...for the first time in my life, I'm having trouble staying awake and focused. My fighting skills are slipping from me and I'm becoming more ruthless." He slowly shook his head against Zax's strong shoulder. "I don't like the person I have become, but it is too late to turn back now..."  
  
Zax sighed heavily and released his hold on Cloud's shoulder, beckoning the blonde to sit on the ground with him, aware at how hard Cloud had been fighting a losing battle. He settled in next to the blonde, allowing Cloud to rest against him for a while before he spoke again. Cloud, you need to hold on, just for a little while longer then I promise that you can rest all you want. You are so close to getting back to Hollow Bastion...I know you want to fight Sephiroth, that it is important to you, but we need you to take care of yourself too...  
  
Cloud slowly lifted his head from Zax's shoulder, staring at the dark-haired man. He had never heard Zax refer to himself with a 'we' before, making an eyebrow raise. It was so strange that his attention caught on such a small detail, but it seemed to just sit like a steel ball in his mind. "We?" He finally asked quietly.  
  
Zax stiffened, silently cursing himself for slipping up, especially at such a critical time for Cloud. He could not afford to strain the blonde's mind anymore than Cloud was already doing, but he needed Cloud to still be his friend when this all ended. Cloud...I...  
  
The planet's consciousness immediately surged in him, not wanting this small detail revealed just yet. It wanted Cloud back on the planet's surface before he was allowed to speak of himself as an entity of a greater consciousness. Yet, he tried his best to reason with the planet, practically pleading with it to allow him this small grace, which Cloud would be so much better off knowing about him. He spoke that Cloud was slipping away with no one to lean on, that their friendship had become strained over time because of his disappearance. He wanted to get Cloud back just as much as the planet did, but he needed to blonde's trust for anything like that to happen, for his word to hold any weight in Cloud's mind. He needed to speak the truth for once, not hide behind a greater consciousness.  
  
Cloud pulled himself off of Zax's shoulder when the dark-haired man went suddenly very silent, cocking his head to the side to find his friend staring off into space. He waved a hand in front of Zax's eyes, leaning in close when he got no response, his scanning the dark-haired man's face, trying to find a reason for the distance internalized look that Zax held. He found himself drawn to Zax's eyes, finding them a doorway to a friend he still knew nothing about. He could sense...something in those eyes, something way beyond human capacity, like thousands of voices in one mind. He felt drawn, almost safe looking into his friend's eyes.  
  
Zax eventually came back to himself, gaze shifting to regard Cloud who was leaning in close to him, their gazes locking as the planet shifted away from his direct consciousness. He lay a friendly hand on Cloud's shoulder, jarring the blonde from staring at him, a small smile pulling at his lips as Cloud immediately looked away. Spike, when you finish your battle with Sephiroth, I want to talk with you alone. I think it has been too long since we talked. Will you meet me in the courtyard here when everything is said and done?  
  
"You make this battle sound easy, Zax." Cloud replied with a snort, gaze finally returning to regard the dark-haired man. "Sephiroth is no easy opponent, especially with me on the verge of exhaustion with many more fights left to go in this day."  
  
You will win, Cloud. Higher powers are out for your well being, and they desire a victory out of you. There is no way you can lose. I promise, but you have to promise me to meet here after the fight. I want to tell you something. Zax lifted a hand when Cloud began to protest the fact that the upcoming battle had been arranged with victory. How close that victory, not even Zax knew, but Cloud would come out on top, hopefully with a minimal amount of damage. He smiled warmly at his blonde friend and cupped Cloud's cheek with one hand. Promise me, Spike. Promise that you will meet me in this very spot after the fight.  
  
Cloud's gaze flicked down to the ground before leaning into Zax's hand. He considered what Zax was asking of him then nodded his head. "Alright, I promise to meet you here after the fight." He raised his eyes to regard the dark-haired man, not resisting when Zax hauled him back to his feet, instead taking the time to dust off his pants. His eventually raised his gaze back to his dark-haired friend before nodding his head. "This is it. The moment I've been waiting for..."  
  
Zax smiled warmly and patted the blonde on the shoulder, his expression never changing even as Cloud's darkness lashed back at him, ignoring it completely. You'll do fine, Spike. This should be an easy battle for you. He cupped Cloud's cheek briefly before taking a step to the side, allowing the blonde a clear path to where Sephiroth would be waiting. Go get him, Spike.  
  
Cloud lowered his head and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "I'm scared...Zax." It took all of his courage just to speak that small sentence, and he could only stand in silence to his own weakness, ashamed.  
  
Zax felt his smile falter, having never heard those words from Cloud's lips in all of his existence. Even if Cloud had felt those words, Zax knew that the blonde would never utter them out loud, since Cloud feared weakness. He knew that things were more than extremely serious when Cloud Strife, strong heart of the planet, spoke of fear in battle. He felt the planet murmur in his mind warnings that he should stop this upcoming fight and take care to get Cloud back to Hollow Bastion...but he could not. He was afraid for Cloud's fear, but he knew that the blonde would press on anyway.  
  
Gently, he took a step up to the blonde and wrapped his arms around Cloud's shoulders, pulling the blonde to his chest before letting on of his hand smooth down Cloud's wild hair. He leaned the side of his head on Cloud's temple. It's going to be alright, Cloud. You are going to get back to Hollow Bastion, and everything is going to be fine. There's nothing to fear.  
  
Cloud leaned his head on Zax's strong shoulder, drawing strength from his friend. "Sephiroth is going to arrive there...and we are going to fight to the death...only one of us is leaving that arena." He ran his hands down his pant legs, his eyes closing at the fact that his skin bearly produced any warmth anymore. "I'm not afraid of death. I'm not even afraid of if I face defeat and become his pet, caged away for his enjoyment..."  
  
What are you afraid of then, Cloud? What in that arena makes you frightened? Zax asked softly, his hands still stroking the blonde's hair, again ignoring the darkness biting at his flesh.  
  
"I'm...afraid that I will walk in there and not see my darkness anymore." Cloud struggled to get the words out, ending up only speaking in a whisper. He knew that Zax heard his words though, since the arms around him tightened. "He loved my mother...she loved him in return. How can I soil her memory by killing Sephiroth...someone who could have been my father?"  
  
Zax sighed heavily, the planet's voices surging in worry in his mind, none of them ever having considered what Sephiroth's confession in the dream a few days ago would do to Cloud. He let his hands drop down to rub Cloud's back, attempting to comfort the blonde, a warm smile returning to his lips as the planet poured out sympathies to its strong heart, eyes closing as wisps of green drifted around Cloud's body, holding the darkness off for a few moments. He is not your father, Cloud, as much as he wants to be. He knows that he is not.  
  
Cloud nodded his head, eyes drifting close as he felt warmth flowing through his body again, never really realizing just how cold he was. Even his wing and left hand felt warm for a few moments. "I know that...but...he was so close to being my father, and...I never knew until I was fifteen." He shook his head before running a hand through his hair, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I never believed Grakas back then...I only believed it when Sephiroth mentioned my mother...and here I thought that the General and I had no connection other than men-at-arms."  
  
Zax pushed Cloud away, holding the blonde at an arms-length from him, smiling when their gazes met. If you don't want to do this, you don't have to walk through that door and fight him. We can go to Hollow Bastion right now and leave it all behind. Just say the word, and we go back home. He dropped his head, cocking his head so that Cloud looked at him, a warm smile crossing his lips. Let's get you home, Cloud.  
  
Cloud sadly shook his head at his friend, looking back down at the ground. "I can't... not yet. I have to fight." He ran his right hand down his left arm, stopping when his fingers made contact with the cold skin of his demonic hand. He closed his eyes briefly. "If I don't go in there, I will never know if I will see my darkness or not. I have to be sure of what side of Sephiroth will stand in front of me."  
  
Alright...I won't stop you. Zax somewhat wished that he would protest and urge Cloud to just forget this crazy mission, but he knew that the blonde would not listen to him. He had felt the small shift of both men, of the strong heart reacting to its light, and vise versa. Even in the lull of darkness, both Cloud and Sephiroth had reacted briefly to one another in the true connection meant for them. He could only hope that that spark would occur again, and that Sephiroth would take Cloud home and forget about fighting.  
  
Cloud nodded silent thanks to the dark-haired man, his gaze shifting to the path that would lead him through a set of doors, into a well-lit room, down a darkened hallway, and into the fighting arena. Beyond that fighting arena, he could rest for some time in the locker room, probably removing the white bandages around his sword since he was not in a simple spar anymore. He could rest until Sephiroth appeared, then...then he would fight and eliminate the former General and return home.  
  
He had to force his feet into motion, taking heavy steps towards that suddenly intimidating door as all emotion erased from his face, his mask of indifference swinging into place naturally. His eyes never left his intended path, his body rocking with each step, the sword on his back a heavy weight as he drew ever closer. "The showdown..."  
  
Yet, the moment he ascended the steps and pushed open the door, his muscles relaxed as he took a deep breath. He stopped in the middle of the small room, enjoying the heat from the flames as he reached up and adjusted his cloak more comfortably, setting it higher on his face before running his fingers through his hair. He looked around the small room before shifting his spiked hip guard, tightening the belts around his waist and pants, a routine he always did before a fight which had a calming effect on his body and mind, setting his concentration.  
  
Slowly, he pulled the sword from his back and stared into the blade as he held it up in front of his face, staring at the battle-hardened glowing gaze that stared back at him. Once satisfied with the reflection he carried, he dropped his blade into his right hand and began to walk again, settling himself into a nice relaxed rhythm, carefully monitoring his weight shift to make sure that he still moved smoothly. The last thing he needed was the black veins in his legs and back to make movements uncomfortable and put more strain on his already tired muscles.  
  
He walked out into the fighting arena, relaxed in his walk and keeping his mood casual in order to conserve energy. He kept his gaze staring straight ahead, slipping his chin more into his cloak collar, a soft sigh escaping him as he walked. He enjoyed the sturdy feel of his sword in his grasp, considering taking off the bandages now since there was a bit of a breeze whistling through the Coliseum. He decided against it and just kept on walking, somewhat relieved the potential chance to sit down for a rest.  
  
Yet, he found his casual thoughts interrupted by the feeling that he was not alone, his gaze shifting up only slightly to fix on the descending single black feather, gaze fixing on the small object as it floated down almost harmlessly to the ground. He knew there was nothing harmless about that feather, and he had to fight to hold his ground as leather boots landed beside the feather, gaze shifting up to regard General Sephiroth of Hollow Bastion. He remained neutral, though slightly defensive, as his eyes crawled over the older man's form; however, he felt his insides turn to ice, not wanting to fight just yet. He was desperate for a rest, but it appeared that he would be forced to go without, probably just the way that Sephiroth had planned it.  
  
Sephiroth smirked slightly as he found himself faced off with Cloud Strife, noting immediately that the blonde looked tired. His gaze crawled over Cloud's body, keeping himself almost casual as a breeze washed over them, shifting his hair and coat as he found himself in a standoff with the blonde. Yet, he was certain that he caught a small look of disappointment flash briefly through the blonde's blue eyes, his smirk growing a little at the thought that he had caught Cloud tired and vulnerable.  
  
However, he would not speak until spoken to. He would wait for Cloud to raise a voice to properly judge the blonde's mood. He was perfectly willing to play along with any game that Cloud wanted to play, but he was also hoping to see a flash of the sick little canary that he had only briefly glimpsed.  
  
Cloud stood watching Sephiroth closely, eyes narrowing only slightly at the smugness that the silver-haired man held with him. He couldn't lose, not now, not being so close to going home. He had waited for this moment for years, this confrontation and not even exhaustion would hold him back now. He felt all emotion fade from his eyes as the weight of his sword felt more comfortable, the worries of black veins and of a dying planet no concern to him as he faced down his enemy, the sole reason that the darkness was taking him over. "So we meet at last," he spoke, weighing up the other man.  
  
Sephiroth's smirk only grew when Cloud spoke, immediately knowing the feel of the blonde's aura of battle. So, he would not catch a glimpse of the hiding blonde at this point unless he forced it out into the open for his own personal viewing. He tucked that piece of information away as he only slightly nodded his head, bearly noticeable. "I was searching for you too."  
  
Cloud's eyes narrowed at the tone that Sephiroth used with him, that same mocking voice as in the dream. He loathed that tone, simply because it made him feel like a child being scolded, made he feel like he was back in that small body waiting for Grakas' hand. The mere thought made his back shiver as the veins whispered, cursing Sephiroth for it. "As long as you exist, I can't wake from this nightmare," he stated coldly, referring more back to the empty dream that they had originally fought in a few days prior. "You are my darkness."  
  
Sephiroth had to fight the urge to laugh, finding himself faced with the same accusation that Cloud had used on him in their last dream encounter. That same stubborn look marked Cloud's elegant features, and he once more was ready to play the accusation game. The last time, he had been vaguely pleased with the results, and, if he could take Cloud without the need to beat the blonde into submission, he would take the opportunity. There would be plenty of time to spar with Cloud once the blonde was resting under his watchful eye.  
  
If only to make his words more dramatic, Sephiroth threw his arms out to the side, allowing Cloud to see that he would fight. "If that is so, I shall draw you into the darkness," he said, his gaze lifted from Cloud's face, not really liking the taste of the words spilling from his mouth, since he wanted exactly the opposite at this point. However, he was willing to run with the theme Cloud had going with him, if only to amuse the blonde. "Into the nightmare that forever deprives you of light, from which you will never awaken...." And tucked safely in my arms, he added but did not speak aloud.  
  
Cloud was not entirely shocked to be faced with the Sephiroth that wanted to cage him, slightly disappointed but not surprised. Instinctively, he swung his sword above his head and grasped the hilt with both hands as he brought it down in front of him, ready to fight now that he knew that his mother's lover did not stand before him. His eyes narrowed as Sephiroth responded to his silent challenge, and he found himself in the face off that he had been waiting for, red energy running over his muscles, pulling loose stones from the ground and tossing them about.  
  
Sephiroth stood with his head tilted slightly down, hand posed on the hilt of his blade, similar energy crackling over his own body, only a blue instead of red. He had waited for this moment, lived, breathed, and slept only for this very face off with General Cloud Strife of Hollow Bastion, to finish their unspoken rivalry in the grandest of fashions. To be able to face down the blonde warrior was his passion, their duels always bringing him back to life and itching for the feeling of opposing strength against his blade. It nearly excited him to the point where he wanted to start this battle as quickly as possible, but he knew that was not the manner of their duels. They would face off against each other as normal with their small traditions until something triggered the first attack.  
  
So, he stood posed and ready, eyeing the blonde halfway across the arena from him, all of his muscles tense and ready for action. 'He'll surely omnislash right after the first hit. Once that attack is over, Cloud will be open for only the merest of seconds before he will lift his sword and guard...he always guards well.' His mind shifted through their previous fights and analyzed the blonde's tactics, finding the techniques similar in each other. He was so attuned to Cloud's fighting style that he could probably judge the blonde as well as the blonde could judge him even when they were both standing perfectly still.  
  
There was tension set around the entire arena, no onlookers but the gods and planetary consciousness themselves. Only the wind dared to make any movements around the two warriors, and even it moved cautiously, slipping over each man's form gently, shifting their clothing to deceive the other into attacking. And when the tension could not get any more nerve wracking, a small stone that had been tossed by each man's energy landed on the ground with the tiniest of noise...the Showdown of Fate instantly began...  
  
Cloud's weight shifted forward a fraction of a second before he launched at Sephiroth, eyes narrowing at the fact that Sephiroth moved to charge him at the exact same moment. Energy slipped over his muscles as he charged at the silver-haired man, eyes set firmly on his target, unwavering and determined. His blade immediately swung out to side to be held in both hands as he began to bring it down with as much speed and strength as possible. He grunted softly when their blades finally met exactly midway in the arena, closing his eyes as their power clashed just as powerfully, blinding light and crackling blue and red energy arching out around their connected blades. He put his strength into the short pushing match, gaze locking with Sephiroth's for a brief moment as he both read the older man and was read by Sephiroth.  
  
He pushed off of Sephiroth's blade while using his strength to repel the silver-haired man from following him, flipping back in the air to land on the balls of his feet. He lifted his sword protectively in front of him as his wing shifted out from his cloak to balance his weight and the remaining red energy crackled around him. Just as quickly, he shifted his footing back as he swung his sword around to force his weight forward again before shoving off, passing his sword to his right hand as his wing picked him off of the ground and charging at the older man.  
  
Sephiroth skidded to a halt as the same instance as Cloud, his weight balancing quickly before he too launched back at the blonde. He went for higher ground on Cloud, flipping into the air gracefully as he shifted his blade down as he completed the flip, his gaze never leaving the blonde flying at him. He smirked as his forward momentum added to the strength of his blow, and Cloud lost some semblance of balance as their blade collided, thinking that the blonde would be forced back.  
  
He was surprised when Cloud used their connected swords to leap over his head, eyes narrowing as he pushed his own blade up to counter Cloud's, shoving the blonde off as he turned himself on one foot. He leapt into another flip, hoping to chase Cloud down before the blonde managed to touch down, turning himself in midair to face Cloud as he brought his sword around and smashed it down. He let out a small growl as the blonde was fast enough to parry his blow, using Cloud's strength, paired with his wing to fly back higher in the air.  
  
Cloud looked up at Sephiroth, gaze locking on his target as he launched after the silver-haired man, swinging his sword with deadly accuracy, only to be parried away. He used the parry to propel his body to the side, turning them around as he swung again, once more parried away from harm. He glared when Sephiroth shoved him, forced to turn to the side as he drew his blade back, noting the position of Sephiroth's sword behind the older man's back.  
  
Sephiroth's sword sung through the air at the blonde, arching from his back and upwards towards Cloud, not at all surprised when the blonde raised a sword to parry before shoving his blade back more viciously than he had expected. He was lucky to find Cloud just as off balanced with the force, which gave him time to bring the long Masamune up in front of him to parry Cloud's incoming hit on him, forcing their bodies apart with a great show of his strength. He tucked his sword at his side again as he flew back.  
  
They both stopped in midair, staring at each other for a brief second. Both warriors sized up the other before another round of attacks foreboded. Again, only the wind dared make its presence known with the two formidable fighters.  
  
Cloud watched as Sephiroth's head rose to watch him, his next charge initiated by the meeting of their gaze. He launched at Sephiroth, raising his sword high in the air as his legs shifted back to propel his weight more forward. His gaze locked on Sephiroth as the silver-haired man moved to slash vertically on his unprotected shoulder. At the last second, he swung his body around and shoved his sword behind his back, ramming Sephiroth hard with the flat side of his sword as he literally sat on the other side of the blade, looking over his shoulder as Sephiroth's sword slammed into the hilt of his blade between his hands.  
  
He smirked when Sephiroth's weight shifted back, obviously not expecting such an attack from him. He forced the silver-haired man to hold his weight as they flew back several feet, not resisting when Sephiroth finally shoved him away again. He twisted around in the air to face his opponent, pulling his gigantic blade out from behind him and lifting it in time to parry Sephiroth's next attack. He blinked in surprise when Sephiroth suddenly withdrew the attack.  
  
Sephiroth found the opening he was looking for on Cloud as the blonde warrior tumbled forward in the air. He moved to attack, but he was forced to withdraw when one of Cloud's legs kicked out at him, lifting both legs away from the spontaneous attack. He quickly recovered and grabbed the hilt of his sword in both hands as he brought it down with lightning speed towards the blonde, cursing slightly under his breath as his attacked was once more deflected away.  
  
His curse quickly turned into a low growl as Cloud grabbed his sword and the blonde used his own strength against him to pull Cloud sailing back into the air in the upside-down position. He had to either release his hold on the Masamune or pull Cloud back into range fully again, deciding on the latter since he could always make an opportunity to defeat Cloud in the near future.  
  
Cloud let out a surprised gasp as Sephiroth pulled him faster than he had expected through the air, turning himself midway in the air as he flipped forward. He became instantly aware that his back was open for attack as he sailed through the air, looking over his shoulder to confirm that Sephiroth was about to swing at him again. He twisted his body in the air, grasping the hilt of his sword tighter in his right hand as he swung back, his body half facing Sephiroth as their blades connected solidly.  
  
Sephiroth shoved back against Cloud's blade, sailing back several feet. He needed to get Cloud back on the ground, since having an opponent that could fly as well as he could was rather frustrating. He wanted to severe advantage against the blonde, meaning he needed to either break that wing of Cloud's or cut the appendage off. He would need to work towards such a goal.  
  
He suddenly stopped in midair and charged Cloud again, swinging his sword out on the diagonal, not surprised when the blonde parried easily - a skill that Cloud had been best known for. He once more retreated some distance away before shifting his momentum forward again and moving to meet with Cloud's blade.  
  
Cloud flew at Sephiroth, his blade smashing into Sephiroth's before metal ground together as he closed the distance to the silver-haired man, pulling back his left arm. He launched his fist at Sephiroth's face, smiling when his demonic fist made contact with the older man's chin. His smile did not last long as Sephiroth's smacked his face with an open hand, his face rolling with the blow as he closed his eyes.  
  
However, his punch had been considerably harder than Sephiroth's slap and launched the older man back away from him. Cloud recovered very quickly from the small blow to his cheek and charged Sephiroth, aware that opening in the silver-haired man's guard. He kept his gaze on Sephiroth as his legs rose closer to his body as he lifted his blade into the air above his head, smirking to find Sephiroth unable to defend in the manner that the silver-haired man sailed back with a hand touching where his punch had connected.  
  
He rose slightly in the air as Sephiroth shifted down, putting all of his strength into his arms for one devastating slice, wanting to make this one count for all that it was worth. He swung with deadly accuracy, cutting the wind and air as he went, gaze fixed on Sephiroth. His eyes narrowed as he felt dark energy slip around Sephiroth's body, his jaw clenching tightly as his blade passed straight through the silver-haired man's body as Sephiroth teleported away from him in a flash of bright blue light.  
  
Sephiroth telelported himself above Cloud, gaze locking on the slightly surprised blonde below him. He held one of his hands out to Cloud, beckoning the other warrior to attack him, smirking as his gaze locked with Cloud's as the blonde noticed his position. He grabbed his own blade in both hand and instantly flew down to meet Cloud's attack, very aware that he had the advantage of increased forward momentum, meaning more strength behind his hit.  
  
Blinding energy lashed out as both warriors' blades met, sparks jumping from the grinding metal as a battle of strength and wills continued even as the energy spread out around the entire arena.  
  
Cloud grunted softly as his hold gave way, and he was forced back to the ground, wing flapping accusingly at Sephiroth who drifted to the ground halfway across the arena. He only became aware of how cold his skin felt as he stood silently, the black veins having dug deep into this back and legs, making small spasms of pain race up his spine, distracting him slightly. Yet, he dared not take his attention off of Sephiroth for a second.  
  
Now that he had fully tested Cloud's swordsmanship, Sephiroth decided it was time to bring the blonde warrior down in a completely different manner. He lifted a hand in the air and gathered darkness in the form of a spell, his hand lighting up with blue energy as his fingers danced through the air, forming the components. He was surprised at how fast Cloud reacted to him casting, eyes widening as Cloud suddenly launched at him, grunting as the flat side of Cloud's sword smashed into his chest. He was forced to take a step back as the spell fizzled out, grunting again as Cloud flew into a series of attacks against him.  
  
However, he wasn't about to let Cloud win so easy and raised his hand in the air, calling forward large pillars of fire to encompass the area around them. "Meet your fate," he whispered to Cloud since the blonde was so close to him, smirking as fire erupted around them, only aware of Cloud's small cry of pain. He quickly came to realize that he had gained the advantage since Cloud was not used to facing magic in the form of darkness, which certainly was more powerful than the strongest elemental spell, especially against a strong heart.  
  
Cloud flipped back out of the range of the flames, wincing as he shook off the fire that singed the hair on his arms. He skidded to a halt a short distance away before launching into the air and charging at Sephiroth, battering right through the remainder of the flames in time to have his sword parried and forced back. He gritted his teeth and flipped in the air before attacking again, arching his massive blade down in a combination of three sword strokes, a downward diagonal, a horizontal slash, then finishing a upwards diagonal. He gritted his teeth when Sephiroth managed to parry the sword strokes, but he managed to fly back out of range as the silver-haired man once more called up pillars of fire, settling in the air out of Sephiroth's reach.  
  
Sephiroth's gaze never left Cloud, and he had growing frustration over the blonde's ability to simply fly out of range and return to it when he casted a spell. He needed Cloud on the ground, or he needed the blonde to make a serious mistake that would allow him to drop his opponent to the ground. He wanted that blasted wing disabled so that Cloud could only rely on the blonde's ability to jump long distances. With Cloud's wing intact, he couldn't simply teleport above the blonde's head and cast one of his more devastating spells, namely Descend Heartless Angel. That spell would make victory easy if he could get it to work on Cloud.  
  
He glared at Cloud from his grounded position as the flames subsided around him, his wing tightening as he launched to meet Cloud's next attack, grunting as his blade was slammed back. He twisted his body to allow the blade to rest against his shoulder pad, freeing up a hand to punch Cloud. He thought his fist would make contact with the blonde's cheek, but he found his fist blocked by one of Cloud's forearms at the last second.  
  
Cloud shoved Sephiroth off of his blade as quickly as possible, twisting his back in a midair flip just over top of the older man's swinging blade. He drifted back several feet before he dropped back to the ground, eyeing Sephiroth up from the far end of the arena, quirking an eyebrow when Sephiroth did not pursue him. He blinked when the silver-haired man teleported, raising his blade immediately to defend against any sword attack coming his way, hiding more of his body behind his enormous blade.  
  
He blinked when no strike came, lifting his head slightly to find Sephiroth on the opposite side of the arena from him. His eyes narrowed as the silver-haired man was once more casting that strange spell, gaze rising at the sight of a halo appearing above his head. He leapt forward, holding his sword in one hand as he half charged, half flew at Sephiroth, desperate to close the difference in space between them, his strategical blunder of not expecting Sephiroth to suddenly use magic against him possibly costing him dearly.  
  
Sephiroth smirked in triumphant as Cloud was still too far out of his range as the last of the spell went off, three single words spoken to complete the spell, "Descend Heartless Angel!" He watched as the halo above the blonde's head activated, sucking out all of Cloud's lifeforce and transferring it to himself. He sighed in heavy triumphant at the pained cry that ripped from Cloud's lips as the blonde fell hard to the ground, not moving as Cloud's body tumbled towards him, gaze set on the prone body that stopped just inches away from his boots.  
  
He knew from Cloud's positioning and the fact that the younger man wasn't moving that his property was almost on the verge of unconsciousness. He lifted one of his feet from the ground and pinned Cloud's back down as he shifted his weight, eyes moving to regard the cloak around the blonde's neck and shoulders. He bend and pulled the red material off, tossing it to the side as he regard the one element that had made this victory more difficult than it should have been.  
  
Sephiroth reached out and seized the leathery black wing that clung closely to Cloud's shoulder, pulling the appendage into full extension. He examined it closely, gaze briefly flicking to Cloud's head as the blonde groaned in pain, aware that not even a spell as powerful as the one he used could keep Cloud down for long. "Terribly sorry, canary, but your wing must be clipped..."  
  
Cloud raised his head slightly and coughed, shaking dirt from his eyes as he forced his body to shift, slowly rising back to his hands and knees. He grunted as his wing was tugged roughly into full extension, lifting his gaze in time to see the glint of metal seconds before he came to realize the truest meaning of pure and utter agony. He knew the instance that Sephiroth's sword made contact with his wing, the older man's aim as true as ever, taking the appendage from his body and scrapping dully against his navy sweater.  
  
Cloud had never screamed in pain like that before, the cry of pure agony clawing its way from his throat and echoed in the sudden silence of the arena. The arms supporting his body instantly surrendered as all of the black veins that had run their course almost completely through his body all screamed together with him at the loss of his wing. His body convulsed on the ground as all he could do was scream and grab at his wounded shoulder, inky black blood sweeping into his sweater and smearing over the exposed skin of his neck. The veins in his back felt like burning shards of ice that sent all of his muscles into spasms, the agony not even comparable to the most horrible torture he had ever faced or witnessed. He screamed until his throat was raw, writhing in pain on the ground at Sephiroth's feet, then he screamed more, his finger nails penetrating his palms to spill more blood in hopes of drawing away from the scorching pain in his back that ran endless circles, travelling with lightning speed down every dark vein so that he was helpless save for his ability to continue shriek in pure unbridled agony.  
  
It send such a unexpected shock through his body that something burst open, the walls around his heart shattering sending splinter shards into the deepest portions of his conscious and subconscious mind. And suddenly, he wasn't screaming alone, his voice magnified with the agonize screech of thousands of voices joining with his own.  
  
Sephiroth could do little but stand in complete and utter shock at the noise that left Cloud's throat, staring down at the writhing blonde as his mind analyzed the sound. He had never heard a cry that comprised of so much suffering, and the vision of Cloud's struggling helpless body made the pained noise sound all the more loud to his ears. He found himself forced away by the sound of that scream, the fact that Cloud Strife - most powerful man in Hollow Bastion save himself - made a noise like that. It was almost completely inhuman in nature, slicing into his mind and calling up all the darkness in his own body.  
  
He was perhaps only more surprised when he became aware of not only one voice screaming, but many. With that sound, he knew with crystal clarity that the planet was reacting and the darkness in Cloud was reacting violently. His action had unwittingly caused the exact opposite effect that he had desired... instead of saving Cloud from the darkness, he was killing the blonde with it.  
  
"Cloud..." He slowly bent, letting the wing slip from his fingertips to fall to the ground, his attention placed fully on his property. Quickly, he reached out and seized Cloud's shoulders, pulling the blonde up to face him, blinking when all Cloud seemed capable of doing was screaming. He noted that Cloud's muscles were all tense, the blonde's body rigid even in struggling. "Strife, snap out of it! Fight the darkness!" He pulled Cloud to his chest when it appeared like Cloud could not even hear him, keeping his hold tight on the blonde in any attempt to ease some pain. "You've come too far to let something as simple as an appendage loss stop you, Strife! Get your miserable self back so I can defeat you properly!"  
  
Cloud shuddered in Sephiroth's arms before his body finally expended all of its energy and drifted into silence, his movements ceasing as he went limp in Sephiroth's hold. He was falling into darkness as all the patient tendrils desired, his heart unsheltered and open for destruction as the darkness closed in around him. Vaguely, he was aware of maniacal laughter as the demon stepped forward to merge with him and take complete control, allowing the darkness to reign supreme and Hollow Bastion to fall...  
  
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"Cloud Strife! You drop that sword right now, young man, or you are getting a good spanking!" Elecia screamed from the bottom of the stairs, stomping her foot on the floor when there was no response. "Get your butt down here, Cloud! I called you for dinner ten minutes ago!"  
  
"Leave the boy be, Elecia." Grakas spoke up from behind her, his massive arms crossed in front of his barrel chest. He slowly lowered himself to a chair, easing his bulk as gracefully as a man of his size could. He leaned back in the chair, pushing it off of the front to legs as he regarded the fiery woman. "I shouldn't have to remind you to keep your voice down either. The pup can hear you perfectly fine without you having to scream at him. Besides, your boy would technically be alive to everyone if you had managed to keep your vows."  
  
Elecia turned to regard Grakas from her placement next to the stares, sending him a glare. "I had no vows back then, Grakas. I shouldn't need to remind YOU of that as well." She turned back to looking up the stares, a soft rustling indicating that her son had heard and was responding to her call. She walked back to the table and stiffly sat across from Grakas, lowering her voice considerably. "What was between the General and I..."  
  
"Is thankfully over," Grakas instantly responded before lifting a hand and pointing an accusing finger at the stairway leading up. "However, the possible product of that romp in the sheets could be up there, but we won't know that for sure until the pup grows up and fills out." He let his hand return to resting on his thigh, looking almost distracted as he said, "if the boy is Sephiroth's bastard, you'll end up losing the pup anyway. A bastard of a bastard is put to death."  
  
"Keep your mouth closed about such things, Grakas." Elecia whispered, passing a glance towards the stairs. Her child had yet to come to realize the reason why Cloud was not allowed outside. She was already having enough trouble gripping the fact that she had to fake her own child's death and raise her son in secret just to see if Cloud was a bastard's child.  
  
Grakas quirked an eyebrow at the blonde woman, following her glance. He sighed heavily and allowed the front legs of the chair to return to the floor with a loud 'clump', the chair creaking as he leaned forward over the table. "You soiled Walian's memory and his child with your inability to keep her legs closed." He expected the hard slap on his cheek and willingly accepted it, his gaze never leaving Elecia who looked about ready to try and stab him with a dinner knife. "The pup has weak blood with you as his mother. He'll be lucky if Walian fathered him, and he'll be dead if that arrogant General of ours got you with child."  
  
Elecia leaned over Grakas, her eyes narrowed and furious that Walian's brother would dare insult her in such a way with the possibility that Cloud could hear. She raised a finger of warning at him as she fumed angrily. "My son is strong, Grakas, no matter the man who sired him. Cloud will surpass everyone, and he will be the strongest one in this entire family!" She pulled back and returned to her seat, once more glancing at the stairs, wondering where Cloud was. "I have allowed you in this house to torture my child, Grakas. He's bearly able to walk a straight line, yet you force a giant sword in his hands and order him to swing it. Even now... he's strong, and he shows you that he can do what you ask of him. Don't you dare tell me that my son is weak! He will..."  
  
"Momma...?" All eyes turned to regard the small child wobbling in the stairwell, wild blonde hair arching up at odd angles. Cloud took a step forward, holding his bandaged hands up to his mother for inspection. "They fall off! Momma, they all red 'gain! Hurts..."  
  
Elecia immediately jumped up from her seat and went over to her small son, bearly five years old and inspected his tiny hands. She smiled down at her child and scooped Cloud up into her arms, carrying the little boy over to sit in her chair. She shot a glare over at Grakas as the sight of her son's raw fingers and palms, all the wounds of the previous days open and oozing blood. She removed the bandages with care and wiped the wounds down. "Cloud, didn't momma tell you to not make your hands hurt?"  
  
Cloud smiled up brightly at his mother, his little legs kicking out from the chair he was seated on. He winced only slightly to his mother's careful treatment of his hands. "I'm gonna be a Royal Guard when I get big!" he announced happily, his smile faltering somewhat when his mother paused to stare at him. "Be like daddy!" he clarified, hoping to make things right again. He had little idea about the double meaning of that since he was unaware of his questionable lineage.  
  
Grakas laughed and patted the table lightly. "You have a lot more training to do, pup! If you want to be a Royal Guard, you have to practice and stop being lazy!"  
  
"Uncle Grakas doesn't know what he's talking about, Cloud. Ignore your old uncle." Elecia ignored the glare set at her back and continued to rebandage Cloud's little wounded hands up again. "You are my strong little boy. You can do anything you set your mind to, no matter what anyone else says. If you want to be a Royal Guard, you can be one if you try hard and show your strength."  
  
"I'm gonna be a strong Royal Guard!" Cloud announced soon after his mother released his hands, waving them above his head to show how strong his little hands were.  
  
Elecia smiled and bent, kissing the top of his son's head, remaining close to him for a brief moment to whisper to her only child, "You're my ray of sunshine, Cloud. You are so strong and so beautiful... no shadow will ever cover over how bright you are." She smiled when Cloud lifted his little head to regard her, nuzzling her son's face softly. "Remember that no matter how many times the sun sets, it will always rise back up out of the darkness on the other side. You chase away my darkness, my little sunshine."  
  
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Sephiroth blinked and let out an unceremonious cry as he was suddenly blow back, his hold on Cloud slipping away as rocketed back several feet, instantly jumping back to his feet. He looked up at the cloud of dust that he had been sent flying from, reaching up to brush away some dirt from his cheek testily. His eyes narrowed as the dust began to clear away before he took a step back in slight hesitation at the sight before him.  
  
Cloud took a step forward, green energy pulsating around his boots and drifting out around him. His skin glowed lightly as the same green passed over his naked arms and shifted his quickly growing hair that was turning silver at the ends. The wisps arched the lengthening locks, encouraging them to grow out to rest against his bloody sweater, over the curve of his buttocks and extend down his pants until they rested occasionally down to his knees, the wild spikes still moving in the warm breeze. His eyes were wise with knowledge, all of the planet's knowledge suddenly crystal clear to him, all the confusion pushed away and all the questions answered. Faint wings flickered on his back as all the ethereal green wisps focused on his back, coming together into seven great wings.  
  
He lifted his right hand in the air, palm up, gaze never leaving Sephiroth even as he sword came to him. His gaze removed hauntingly neutral as his fingers closed around the hilt once more, and he shifted the blade in front of him in slow motion until the tip pointed at Sephiroth's chest. "You must returned to the planet, just as I must. Your taint must be removed with the cleansing of your soul." His voice carried a softly musical bounce to it, attracting his light to him.  
  
Sephiroth's hand settled on the hilt of his sword, drawn to Cloud but not certain of the blonde's intents at this point. He had to fight the urge to jump back into battling with Cloud, wanting to finish their fight like he had dreamed for years. Slowly, he stooped his posture and fell into a defensive fighting stance, eyes set on Cloud. "You look wonderful, my little canary. Shall we continue?"  
  
Cloud ignored Sephiroth's words and walked over to his fallen cloak, each step causing green wisps to fly outwards. He beckoned the material, grasping it when he settled into his free hand, turning slightly to watch Sephiroth out of the corner of his eye. "I must return to Hollow Bastion. Our fight is meaningless."  
  
"You miserable coward!" Sephiroth yelled at the blonde, wanting, no NEEDING to finish this fight. He had lived his life by the fact that he had to defeat Cloud in battle, and the blond had already proven how dangerous the darkness was. He denied that he was actually worried that he would lose Cloud, not believing in such things at the moment. All that he needed to was to claim his property and give his canary a chance to rest. "You WILL finish this, Strife! I've waited too long for this, and you cannot back down from it! Fight me, you insignificant pup!"  
  
Cloud turned slightly to regard Sephiroth, quirking an elegant eyebrow. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to kill Sephiroth, but the older man seemed intent on hindering him from returning to the planet. He could feel both Sephiroth's light and darkness reacting to his presence, one wanting to claim him and force his own darkness out and the other wanting to grab him to reduce his darkness. "Don't make me kill you, Sephiroth. Return to the planet willingly and I stop hindering me from my duty."  
  
When Sephiroth launched at him, the planet surged in worry and anger behind his gaze as he lifted a hand at the silver-haired man. "You are of the planet, and I control all things that were born from the Lifestream," he stated as he grabbed control of Sephiroth's essence and held the older man in midair, walking over to Sephiroth's struggling form. He stopped when they were a few feet apart, looking up the distance between them. "You cannot win against me. Go home, General of Hollow Bastion."  
  
Sephiroth snarled and tried to get free of whatever hold Cloud had on him, never having experienced such power around him. He turned his gaze down to the blonde, snarling with anger over this end to their battle. "No, this battle ends with one of our deaths! You have to kill me to leave this arena!"  
  
"Fine," Cloud replied quietly, lifting a hand to rest on Sephiroth's chest, smiling warmly when the older man seemed to settle with his reply. He looked up, his eyes shifting with the many consciousness of the planet, laying his palm flat against Sephiroth's exposed chest. "Return to the Lifestream, General," he said as he easily removed the soul encased in flesh, smiling sadly when the light in Sephiroth's eyes faded as he pulled his hand away with a white light in his palm. "Come home with me, Sephiroth."  
  
His fingers closed around the small light, absorbing it into his body and returning the silver-haired man to the planet's essence. He turned away and waved a hand, the now lifeless body ripping apart into green wisps that surrounded and danced around his body. The wings on his back flexed slightly before the wisps composing them once more pulled away, following Sephiroth's essence back to Hollow Bastion.  
  
Cloud! Zax screamed as he limped across the arena towards the blonde, feeling the darkness welling up again. It was obvious that Cloud was straining to hold the angelic form because of the distance from the planet. He watched in unbridled fear as the light faded from Cloud's skin again, the long hair pulled away into more long wisps, leaving the mortal form of the blonde. Cloud! Stay there, Spike! I'm coming!  
  
He gasped when Cloud suddenly crumpled to the ground, pushing himself hard to get to the blonde, sliding down the rest of the way on his knees to scoop Cloud up off of the ground. He shook the blonde's shoulders urgently, feeling darkness welling up again, but less dangerous this time since the planet had rebuilt walls around Cloud's heart again. He pulled his friend to his chest and rested his cheek on the top of the blonde's head, slowly rocking the blonde back and forth. We are going back now, Cloud. Everything's going to be fine. You did it. You beat the darkness!  
  
'Not so fast, guardian. We rule here now, and you are helpless against us.' A sly voice announced cheekily from behind the planet's guardian.  
  
Zax pulled Cloud closer to his chest and looked over his shoulder to find the demonic Cloud standing watching him. He glared at the demon, shifting when the dark Cloud took a purposeful step towards them, growling softly. Leave here, darkness. You have no place with us. We are returning to Hollow Bastion. Say good-bye to your existence and return to the shadow with which you came from.  
  
The demonic Cloud laughed in obvious mockery, still walking towards the pair, eyes set upon its unconscious self with a predatory look. After fifteen long years, it would finally rule this miserable universe. 'A lovely sediment, guardian, but purely untrue. Lovely is ours now. Stand aside or be destroyed...oh wait, that will happen anyway.' It grinned cruelly, showing its canines off.  
  
Zax looked down at Cloud, lifting a finger to stroke the blonde's cheek gently. He wrapped his arms more tightly around Cloud's shoulders, wincing at the feel of black blood that soaked almost the entire back of the blonde's sweater. He knew that Cloud needed to get back to Hollow Bastion if the blonde was going to have any chance of survival, especially with Cloud's darkness so powerful now. He had hoped to speak with Cloud before they left, but now, there was no time. Spike... I'm really sorry, and I know you probably won't forgive me, but... this is the only way now...  
  
'This is no time for a touchy-feely moment, guardian!' the demon yelled with some glee as its blade cut through the air, chuckling softly as its sword impaled the dark-haired man. It was pleased with the surprised and pained grunt that left the planet's guardian's throat, stepping up so that its cold leather boots indicated with harden steps its victory. 'Just die, guardian... don't worry, we will take VERY good care of Lovely in your absence.'  
  
Not yet... Zax whispered as the blade in this gut twisted painfully, attacking his essence and trying to consume it from the inside out. He looked down at Cloud tucked in his arms and smiled weakly at his friend, finding it difficult to keep up with human functions. Cloud... always remember that I am your friend and that I believe in you... please, go home and live the life I never did...  
  
The demonic blonde blinked in surprise when the dark-haired man began to glow and green wisps pulled away from the planet's guardian's body, at first angry with this action. It ripped its sword free and reached out to seize the dark-haired man to rip Zax away from its unconscious self. However, its hand passed right through the dark-haired man's form, instead, wisps of green surrounding both it and the unconscious Cloud. And it suddenly understood what was happening, a fact that made the demon pause. 'You sacrifice yourself for him...? Such a stupid martyr!'  
  
Zax shook his head and pulled Cloud tighter. Cloud Strife is my friend, and I want to see him with a smile on his face! I am a fragmentation of the planet, but I AM his human friend! I want to see Cloud smile! I want to see him laugh! I want him to be happy! He looked back at the demon before his form disintegrated into wisps of green, wrapping around the unconscious blonde and lifting Cloud from the ground. I believe in Cloud, and I will do everything to see him happy! Go home and smile, Cloud!  
  
'...you cannot care that much! No one cares about us!' the demon replied, but this time, its voice was uncertain, most of the anger drained away. How was it possible that someone could care that much? It simply couldn't think that such a thing could happen, that anyone could care that much. It watched in frozen silence as its unconscious form was wrapped in the lifeforce of Zax and suddenly disappeared. '...you care that much...impossible...'  
  
'Wake up, sunshine,' A woman's voice sounded, deep with motherly love.  
  
'Papa, look at my pretty dress! Look at how pretty I am!' A female child's voice sounded, bouncing with happiness and adoration.  
  
'General Strife, you are my challenge, and I am glad to call you a man-at-arms. I would put my life in your hands any day,' a deep male voice echoed, full of respect.  
  
'Hey Spike! Promise me when you become a Royal Guard that you will smile more! Everyone should see those pearly one's of yours!' Another male voice called, rich with trust and friendly humour.  
  
The demon shuddered and grabbed at its shoulders, falling down to its knees as its black wings began to melt away, its hold on any conscious thought and feeling melting away along with its wings. He jerked forward with pain as the same began to happen to its legs, shifting away to never again take a place in the world of the living. Its demonic hands rose to grab handfuls of its blonde hair as it let out a scream of anger that slowly turned into anguish, and it eventually screamed one name as its body pulled apart forever...  
  
'ZAAAAAAAXXXXXX!!!'  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter done, but I had to rewrite the battle three times, and it took a long time to do. I was sad with the destruction of several characters, but I think it fit.  
  
I thank everyone who took the time to read this chapter and my fic. You don't know how much I appreciate all your reviews. Thank you to everyone, and I will start working on the next chapter right away, 'A Shadow of Doubt'. 


	15. Shadow of Doubt

Darkness Rising By Chibi Nataku

Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)

AUTHOR'S WARNING: This fic has been bumped up to a yaoi pairing between Sephiroth and Cloud. You have been warned so proceed at your own risk. So far, it is merely some shounen-ai, but it might turn a bit more in later chapters.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is mild language in this chapter, so please don't make your eyes bleed by reading it if you don't like the use of explatives. It's really only because Cid is in this chapter. .

Also, I really apologize for how long it took me to get this chapter up. I've been really busy with University, so it has been stuffed in some corner for awhile! I finally found it and worked away madly on it. I really hope that I will be able to get the next chapter up faster. Apologies!

Chapter 14 - A Shadow of Doubt

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Cloud stood silently in darkness, gaze fixed on the non-existent ground, aware of nothing but himself. He knew what he was, his purpose in the grand scheme of things, but he had lost his hold on that part of himself because of the darkness around him. So, he stood tracing over the fine lines of new knowledge, his mind slipping over the mass knowledge of the planet. He had questions and all he really had to do was search out the answers, but he was uncertain if he wanted access to all this knowledge. Sometimes, blissful ignorance was the best way to live as a warrior.

Yes, Sephiroth was dead. He hadn't meant to rip the silver-haired man's soul free so brutally, but he had been driven by the spike of duty to Hollow Bastion in that form. He had felt the power of himself, and he admitted that it had frightened him slightly that he could remove one of the most powerful men in the worlds with a single touch of his hand and command. He was not completely certain if he regretted his actions.

And with all his knowledge, he knew of Zax. His friend, now nothing, had been a small fragmentation of the planet sent to guide him in his mortal life. Zax had never told him things because the planet thought he was not ready to know, but in the end, Zax had always been true to him. His only real friend was gone, sacrificed it all so that he could return to Hollow Bastion. It hurt him more that the planet had not expected the movements of Zax and could not intervene to stop him. He already missed Zax's presence.

Cloud slowly lifted his head at the sound of approaching footsteps in the darkness, not even certain where he was anymore. All he knew was that someone approached almost casually towards him, and he wondered vaguely who it would be. Would it be Sephiroth? Perhaps Zax? Maybe Aerith? His mother? His uncle Grakas? He had a feeling that it was none of those people just be the feeling that surrounded the approaching individual, a warrior he thought. He wondered who would have the power to find him in all this darkness.

His eyes widened slightly as the shadows pulled back to reveal a man, unwavering cool blue eyes staring back at him. The man had shoulder-length dirty blonde hair, tied back in a warrior's tail, and he wore the crisp uniform of a Royal Guard - blue slacks, knee high black leather boots, blue top with a brown belt connecting from shoulder to hip. The man was older than him, not by much, possibly twenty-five at the most. He noted the small knife hilt from the man's boots and the standard issue blade attached at the man's side, and he didn't have to question who stood before him, though he was shocked with the sudden recognition.

"...Father?" he breathed, taking a tentative step forward. He had been four when his father had died, and he could remember nothing of the man's facial features. All he remembered as a child was those boots and legs. He actually never knew he was almost exactly his father's height until now. "...I never knew you..."

Walian smiled warmly at his son and lifted a hand of greeting. "You were very young when I passed away, Cloud. I wouldn't expect you to really recognize me aside from pictures."

Cloud blinked and nodded his head. This was too unreal, to be faced with his father who he never really knew. "I'm dreaming this, aren't I?"

"Your heart requires guidance, and it picked a form that you most wanted to see," Walian said as he walked a few more paces up to Cloud, lifting a hand to cup his son's cheek warmly, eyes roaming over Cloud's similar features. "You've grown so strong, my son. I am very proud of you."

"You're not really here. You are telling me things that I want to hear, if you are just a creation of what my heart desires," Cloud responded defensively, taking a step back from his father, removing himself from touching distance.

Walian cocked his head to the side slightly before smiling warmly again and gesturing around them. "You control the Lifestream, meaning you can pull up any soul that has ever lived into your mind whenever you want to. Simply because you're heart desired to see me doesn't mean I'm just a figment of your imagination. No, I exist as a part of the Lifestream and you drew my essence into your mind because you wanted to see me." He slowly crossed his arms across his chest, regarding Cloud with that same warm smile. It had been a long time since he had been able to get this close to his only child. "You have something to ask me, Cloud?"

Cloud looked sharply at his father, eyes narrowing considerably before he turned away, looking off into the darkness again. "How could you love her when she never loved you? She cheated on you, never really mourned your loss, and waited to be wrapped in the arms of another man. How could you love mother?!" He tried to keep his force calm, but this question had been eating at him ever since he had found out about Sephiroth.

Walian chuckled softly and nodded his head, a very good question to ask. He walked around Cloud before stopping so that he was facing his son, looking into Cloud's eyes. "I loved your mother. Your mother loved me as well." He raised a hand to silence Cloud's protests, wanting to speak the answer to the question he was asked. "We loved each other Cloud, just as we loved you. Your mother was perfectly honest with me about her previous relationship with General Sephiroth, and I accepted it, with some trouble at first, but I came to terms when I found out that she had conceived." Again, he raised a hand when Cloud began to protest. "Your mother was very loyal to her word, Cloud. She told me on the night of our wedding that she and the General had cut ties to each other. I believed her, as any man should trust his lover and wife."

"But she waited for him! After you died, she waited every night looking out that stupid window. She didn't wait for you! She waited for Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted at his father, wanting to yell at this injustice about his mother. He had loved and adored his mother with his entire being, but he found this accusation haunting him. "She loved him more than she loved you..."

"No, you think she loved him more than she loved YOU, Cloud." Walian smiled sadly when Cloud looked at him sharply again, his son's eyes flashing with unspoken frustration and anger. He reached up and cupped Cloud's cheek, stepping closer when his son tried to pull away, using his other hand to grasp Cloud's shoulder to keep the boy in place. "She loved you very much, Cloud. She loved me very much. She loved Sephiroth very much." He met his son's eyes on equal terms. "In all of the five years I was married to your mother, never once did she think about Sephiroth as I had asked of her. In exchange for her hand in marriage and loyalty, I told her that I wanted my family taken care of, and that if she wished it, she could contact Sephiroth and rekindle their old relationship if I ever died. I wanted my son taken care of by a good man, and I knew that the General would treat you well, just like he would your mother."

Cloud shook his head and tried to look away, finding it difficult with his father's hold on his face. He didn't want to pull away from the contact, so he remained looking at Walian. "They never started anything again."

Walian smiled sadly and nodded his head, aware of the reasons for such a thing. "She saw him at my funeral, and he offered sympathy for her loss." He chuckled softly at Cloud's slight interest in his tale now. "Your mother... wanted to go to him, but she couldn't bear it. She had been forced to announce the 'death' of her only child at that funeral, and it weighed on her heavily that she couldn't just let you out into the world until your lineage was certain. She didn't want you to be put to death, so she agreed with my family that it was safer for you to remain hidden for some time."

"I wish she had never said that..." Cloud said softly.

"She regretted it the moment she said it," Walian replied and allowed his hands to fall back to his sides. "She loved you deeply, and she hated herself for putting you through that pain of isolation, which is why she pulled back from you and stared out that window. Yes, she wanted Sephiroth to come and rescue her, but she more wanted him to come so that he would know that you lived." He smiled again and once more crossed his arms, tapping one of his boot toes on the endless back floor. "When are you going to trust someone, Cloud?"

Cloud looked at his father in slight confusion before he finally just shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "All the people I trusted or wanted to trust are dead." He closed his eyes and looked at the floor, mirroring his father's act of tapping a boot on the floor. "Leokas was murdered in the Heartless attack. Mother died when I was fifteen. Zax..." he had to pause for a moment before sighing heavily and continuing, "he gave his identity to send me back to Hollow Bastion."

Walian waited silently for a few moments, quirking an eyebrow at the small list given to him. He leaned back slightly on his heels and continued to wait for the other name on that list, chuckling when Cloud only stared at him. "And Sephiroth? Your General? A man-at-arms?"

"What about him?" Cloud inquired, not certain if he was comfortable with this small subject.

"You trusted him even up to the point where he returned to the planet. You always had trust with him." Walian smirked when Cloud threw him a bit of a glare and shook a few wild blonde strands from his eyes. "You deny it?"

Cloud stiffened slightly. "I deny nothing."

"You hide nothing from me either, Cloud. I have watched you grow up from the Lifestream, and I know trust when I see it. You trusted the General as much as you trusted Leokas, possibly even more." Walian cocked his head to the side so that he made it clear that would listen to any protests, but he smiled in satisfaction when he received no argument from his son. "He enjoys your company, you know. And even in his darkest moments, he was looking out for your health and well being... when you scraped away the obsession, that is." He chuckled at Cloud's skeptical glance, yet he could see the slight pull to hear more from his son. "I'm not certain, but I think the good General developed something more than simply trust for you, my boy."

Cloud stiffened again, looking incredulously at his father. He had trouble wrapping his brain around the fact that Sephiroth could like him, aside from possibly when the man was in full swing of obsession over him. He had never noticed any advancement from the General in all of his years as a Royal Guard, and he had seen his share of advancements from way too many people. "His obsession drove him to think many things about me that he shouldn't have."

Walian chuckled softly and shook his head slightly. "My son, you have feared love since the death of your mother. The complexities of love were too much for you to fathom in your grief for her, and you always ignored any interest you might have had for anyone, always throwing yourself into your own little obsession... to be the best Royal Guard." He patted Cloud on the shoulder and began to walk a few paces away. "I know you used to let him watch you when you were on shift. In your own way, you were trying to impress him."

"I was not!" Cloud retorted, more incensed that his father spoke the truth.

Walian quirked an eyebrow and folded his hands behind his back, wanting to hear the reasons behind that little claim. He cocked his head to one side when Cloud did not speak up anymore, and chuckled softly. "You are so like your mother, Cloud. You trotted at her heels the very moment you could walk, pouted when she was too busy to watch you at all times, and clung to her dress when company was over." He smiled in fatherly pride at Cloud. "Even now, you follow your mother and attract the same attention that she did from the same people."

Cloud felt his jaw fall open slightly, and sputtered to formulate a response, finally just settling for looking away and scrambling for an answer. He denied his father's words, that he was not feeling any sort of interest in Sephiroth besides a man-at-arms or his enemy. Besides, even if he did feel for Sephiroth - which he didn't - it would be too weird to like that same man who nearly fathered him. Yet, there was... something...

Yes, he very well remembered the times that he had sparred with Sephiroth, and there had been many times as he grew up and filled out. He had spent five years under Sephiroth's direct command until he was promoted to the same rank, and he had achieved his first victory in the sparring ring against the General. Though he had initially passed off his success as put luck alone, he had seen the silent shift in Sephiroth towards him, the General having a strange almost invisible fond smile as he left for duty. The General's requests to spar with him increased dramatically after that point, and he had always accepted no matter the time that the request actually reached his hand.

Their spars became much too popular, other guards slacking on duties just to come and watch, and Sephiroth had stopped sending requests through the chain of command after a while. He would often find small notes tucked into reports, under his pillow, tucked in a shoe after bathing, and he had silently checked all the time for the little challenges. They usually took their spars in Ansem's personal training ring beneath the castle where there were not prying eyes taking bets or cheering loudly for one or the other. He had never once turned down an invitation to spar, though he had developed just as secretive a skill at contacting Sephiroth if there was a problem with the time.

He looked over to his father at the sudden sound of cursing somewhere. "What the...?"

"Our time is over for now, my son," Walian replied as Cloud looked around, their gazes locking for a few brief moments before he turned and began to walk away into the darkness. He stopped in mid-stride before looking over his shoulder at his son. "I'm very proud of you, Cloud. When this is all over, I hope you will open up a little more."

Cloud watched his father fade into the darkness and sighed heavily, looking around for the sound of muttering curses, walking tentatively towards it before he was dragged the rest of the way. His eyes snapped open in time to have another blonde man stumble on him, vaguely recognizing the other man as one who served to build ships for Lord Ansem. He stared up at the other blonde before forcing himself to sit up slowly, groaning as his body protested the treatment.

"You fucking fell on my ship!" Cid yelled down at the spiky blonde, glaring death down at the General of Hollow Bastion. He growled and gestured over his shoulder towards the entrance of the castle, still glaring at the spiky blonde. "Get your scrawny butt up, General. Out here is no place for you, for some goddamn reason. Leon and Aerith wanna see you." He looked up at his gummi ship and chewed madly on the small stick in his mouth. "If there is any damage on that beauty, I'm gonna whoop your blonde ass till next week."

Cloud stood up at his own pace, wincing as his wounded shoulder screamed pain to every nerve of his body. He kept an eye on the older blonde, Cid he thought. He had never formally had much to do with the man, but he did remember the man's rude language and crude temper. He ran his fingers over his shoulder, feeling strange without the extra appendage, and he had to fight back nausea when waves of pain bombarded his senses. He bent slightly and picked up his red cloak, slipping it back into place on his shoulders as he regarded Cid out of the corner of his eye, immediately noting that the older blonde was impatiently glaring at him. "No reason..."

Cid waved a hand at the General and started to walk down out of the docking bay. "I don't know what the hell is going on, so keep your trap shut and just follow me, General." He didn't bother to look over his shoulder to make sure that Cloud was following him, only mildly interested that the General had returned to Hollow Bastion. Despite himself, he had liked Cloud as a Royal Guard. The younger man didn't talk much, got the job done, and never talked back to him, all signs that the General was a man he could like.

Cloud followed silently, not even certain where his sword was at this point. He found himself rather disoriented yet feeling his mind crystal clear, all the answers still at his fingers tips and the soft whispers of the planet echoing softly in the back of his conscious mind. He felt sick with the feel of darkness around him, pounding at every cell and grabbing at the knowledge that he had suddenly stumbled upon, trying to gain control of him and extinguish the light he knew partly maintained the planet. Yet, he refused to show his discomfort or illness on his features, having long since learned to keep all thoughts simply internally.

However, the planet murmured softly in the back of his mind, concerned for him and urging him to rest for awhile before making any daring attempts to be a hero. He could feel the planet's limited aid it could send to him, the darkness both in himself and eating at the inner core of the Lifestream causing the planet to draw back and hide most of itself. He was still in darkness, but he could make his attempt to step back into light again with all of the knowledge that he carried, but right now, simply walking was an effort. With the effort so great, he kept himself silent and just concentrated on the comforting feeling of the planet's gentle waves touching him, comforting him from his fears, and supporting him with silent strength that he realize was always there just he never really put a name to the feeling.

'Come to us, child,' the planet whispered in his mind when he found himself looking down a hallway that lead deeper below the castle. He could sense power down that hallway in a manner he never before had when standing here, but he instinctively knew it was a hallway that would somehow lead him to the core, to a direct physical link to the Lifestream. 'Come our child and become what is meant for you within our protection.'

Cloud stopped and allowed his glowing gaze to wander down the mostly darkened hallway, his mind almost tentatively reaching back towards the planet. He knew now that he could activity communicate with it, but he was somewhat weary of the feelings that might stem from the contact. Would he become just another voice? He studied the hallway and the soft warmth in his mind, the planet waiting for him to either reply or make movements to go closer. 'What is meant for me?'

The planet seemed contented with the soft question, and it surged more into the mind of its strong heart, pleased that Cloud was slowly opening up to it. 'You are tainted, child. We will cleanse you of that taint and allow your mind to think clearly and your body to attain the form meant for it.' The planet silently tried to nudge the blonde down the hallway, and it withdrew when its strong heart pulled back, weary of it. The planet was patient with its most prized and adored child, and it knew that the blonde would come only when ready. 'Come and rest yourself, child. We shall give you time to recover from your many battles.'

Cloud cocked his head to the side, and he searched down the answers of the planet's words and was mildly skeptical of what the Lifestream really wanted him to do. 'You want me to become that creature with the wings?'

'Isn't that what you want as well, child? Your freedom from the taint that has stained you?' The planet replied softly and wrapped warmth around the blonde's weary mind. It would protect its strong heart as long as it had the strength to do so.

Cloud was about to respond when he heard his name roughly called, his attention shifting to regard Cid tapping a foot impatiently a few feet ahead of him. He cast one look down the hallway and silently gestured to it, indicating that he wanted to go down this way, much to the planet's delight. He watched Cid curse and stalk over to him, leaning back slightly when the older man stopped a little too much in his personal space. "That hallway..."

"...is full of Heartless! One bloody step down there and you'll get us both killed, so you move your scrawny ass down this hallway...General." Cid decided to throw in the spiky blonde's title as a gruff encouragement for Cloud to follow him instead of taking them on a suicide course through the entire castle. He had better things to do with his time than die a likely painful death; he had Gummi ships to build and death didn't provide good wages anyway. "Leon cleared out this hallway, so we go THIS way." He didn't give the other man time to reply as he turned on his heel and continued to march down the hallway towards the library.

Cloud blinked, took one last look down the hallway and also judged it wise to bypass the hallways until he knew from Leon where the Heartless were so that he could mostly avoid them until he could get down to where the planet wanted him to be. He had time to spare and check in on things before he made any daring attempts at throwing his life away just to get nowhere. He needed a plan and a concentration of Heartless, since the planet could only provide where it was being attacked from at this point in time. If Leon knew where the Heartless were concentrated, he could find a way to get around them before picking out the best strategy to attack from.

Wordlessly, he fell back into line behind Cid, moving briskly down the various hallways, not bothering to question the path they took. Instead, his gaze moved around the old castle, getting familiar with its walls and strength after so many years off of the planet and away from the life he had grown to love. Even with Heartless and the fact he was a strong heart, home would always feel like home to him. It was a feeling that relaxed his body and his mind to reflect on the time he had spent walking these halls on patrol or socializing with his fellow guards. It had been peaceful time back then, with little worries and real hardships.

Cid stopped at the edge of a corner and peered around the wall to the door that would lead to the library, aware that this was the most dangerous part of the journey. The Heartless in the area were extremely persistent about not staying dead, and the last thing he wanted was to deal with more problems. He had enough dragging the quiet blonde General down the halls without getting either of them ambushed by the little black freaks. He muttered gruffly under his breath and flicked his nose before nodding at the General to follow him. "Don't do anything stupid around here, General. Heartless are always wanting to stick their freaking claws into the nearest thing."

Cloud merely nodded silently and followed the grumpy pilot, taking time to step only the places that Cid stepped in case there was a sort of strange pattern to causing the Heartless to appear. He tucked his chin more into his cloak, glowing eyes moving around the main entrance way for any sign of hostile enemies that he would need to take care of; though, he wondered what he would considering he still didn't have a sword. He didn't let that fact bother him too much and only kept a sharp eye for any movement aside from himself and Cid.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Leon nodded his head silently, crossing his arms as his eyes strayed from Aerith to his left and Yuffie to his right, all three of them aware of the feat that Sora was trying to accomplish. The sealing of the final door, the door that only Hollow Bastion could lead to and Ansem had stumbled on out of sheer luck alone. He thought that Sora could do it, having felt the strength from the spiky brunette as Sora disappeared into the quickly sealing door of Hollow Bastion. Now, Sora and the two others were trapped on one side of Hollow Bastion, and the Heartless of the planet were trapped on the other.

And Leon was the most aware of how odd the Heartless were acting, not normal behaviour really. When he had been clearing out the halls for Cid to get from his Gummi to the library, he had noted quickly that the Heartless were not as interested in killing him as they were from melting into the shadows around the halls he was clearing out. He knew that Yuffie had noticed it too, but he could find no real reason for the Heartless to suddenly change tactics on them after the disappearance of Sora and the sealing of the door of Hollow Bastion. Yet, the Heartless had moved away from them and had not returned, as if their minor abilities to concentrate had been set elsewhere.

"I can't believe that Lord Ansem was responsible for the fall of our planet," Yuffie announced for the fifth time, setting her hands on her hips. The silence of the library was driving her bonkers, and she simply had to break it up to keep her own sanity intact and her feet from wandering. "Why would he do that?"

Aerith smiled warmly at Yuffie and crossed her own arms lower down on her waist, grasping her forearms as she also tried to think of a plausible reason for Ansem to release Heartless into Hollow Bastion. She had only been able to half think of an answer, her attention still directed towards her missing adoptive father, having been more aware of the screams of the planet than the others. Something was wrong, but she didn't let it show on her face. Right now, she had to think of why Ansem would want Hollow Bastion destroyed. "Perhaps he was insane and didn't realize he was doing it?"

Leon shook her head and leaned back against a bookcase, thinking himself. The leader of their planet had been the one to betray them all the most, the cause of his family and friends' deaths. "Perhaps he wanted to keep the Heartless on the planet to give him time to gather all of his allies and capture the Princesses of Heart. He could have been using the Heartless to keep people from returning to the planet so that he could have complete access to Kingdom Hearts." He pushed off of the book shelf and stood, looking between Aerith and Yuffie. He nodded his head and gestured with a gloved hand. "With the Heartless around, the General and Sora would have trouble getting to the keyhole and stopping Ansem. With Sora chasing after Ansem to seal Kingdom Hearts, the Heartless have no real purpose save to wait for the General to return..."

"Hey kiddies, look what the cat dragged in... and fell on my ship!" Cid announced loudly, gestured behind him to the blonde General of Hollow Bastion. He chewed more vigourously on his toothpick as all attention focused on the long lost General, nearly smiling at the relief that flooded Aerith's face. He had a soft spot for reunions, but he refused to let that show on his gruff exterior. "Little bastard nearly dented my baby with his fall!"

Aerith let her hands fall to her sides as Cloud looked at her, a warm smile gracing her features over his return to Hollow Bastion after fifteen years away. She walked to meet him, cocking her head slightly as Cloud's gaze shifted to the floor away from her. She folded her hands behind her back and leaned down so that she could look into his face, coming immediately aware of the change around him. When he finally looked up at her slightly and met her gaze, she could see why, knowledge, exhaustion, and pain all shifting through his glowing blue eyes. "Papa..."

"Aerith," Cloud responded softly, sighing heavily. He forced a weak smile on his face and checked her over for injury and happiness, relieved when she appeared unharmed and now extremely relieved. He didn't reach out to touch her, just studied her silently, his mind slipping over the knowledge that the planet had about Aerith. He was knocked from his thoughts when delicate arms wrapped around his midsection, and Aerith lay her head on his shoulder, nearly holding him tightly. He and Aerith had never been particularly physical in affection, not once she had grown old enough to not need to be comforted from the dark and was completely independent. Affection in front of others he had not experienced since the last time he had been on Hollow Bastion, some fifteen years earlier. It was warmth that made his muscles relax as he allowed a tentative arm to wrap around her shoulders.

"Awwwwww, that's just so cute, Squall!" Yuffie suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hand together at the rather touching scene.

Leon sent a glare at Yuffie and was about to correct her about his name when he realized that he had given Yuffie and Aerith permission to use his first name again. After so many years of demanding a name change for revenge, he found that the old habit would be a hard one to let go. He finally just settled for leaning back against the book case and watching the two quietly. He was silently relieved to have the General back, and he could tell that both Cid, Aerith, and Yuffie felt the same, yet he wondered if this meant that General Sephiroth had died. "Did you fight, General?"

"Fight? Who the hell was fighting? And what the hell was that black crap on my Gummi!?" Cid questioned loudly from his placement at the door, once more taking to glaring at Cloud's back.

Yuffie bounced over to Cid and knocked him playfully on the stomach, receiving a glare from the old man. "Cloudy was gonna fight Sephiroth!" She made her way over to Cloud silently and peeked under the blonde's red cloak, investigating the odd colour of his sweater before jumping back at his sudden glare. "Whoa! Where did your creepy demon wing of death go?"

Cloud released his hold on Aerith and stepped back, reaching back to run his fingers over the still bleeding sizeable space where his wing had attached to his shoulder. He immediately noted Aerith's silent worried expression and waved a hand at her, silently insisting that he was not as wounded as it sounded or looked by the amount of blood that he had lost. He was keenly aware of all attention on him and sighed heavily, knowing full well that an explanation was required for his wounded state and his battle with Sephiroth.

He decided to start simply with the results of the battle. "General Sephiroth is dead," he smiled behind his cloak at Leon's nod of approval and silent congratulations, but he forced himself to elaborate more on the contents of the battle. "We were evenly matched until he started to cast magic where I..." he gritted his teeth with the admittance, "...made a nearly fatal mistake, and managed to cast a particularly devastating spell that drained me of my energy completely. He wanted to advantage over me, so...he cut my wing off."

"You're still bleeding," Aerith pointed out gently, moving closer to Cloud's side and lifting a hand to touch his left shoulder. When he made no movement to pull away from her touch, she gently arranged the red cloak to look at the wound, stepping in behind her adoptive father more. She pulled the blood slick sweater away from the grievous wound, wincing at Cloud's sharp intake of breath, meaning that the wound was more than a little sensitive for him. She didn't have to look at the wound long to form her own conclusions about its condition. "Cloud..."

"I know," Cloud replied softly, not bothering to elaborate.

Yuffie, being the impatient one of the group and still mildly fascinated with the General's return, piped up with a bubbly voice from beside Leon with, "You know what? Come on, tell everyone else too! We want to know!"

"You mean, YOU want to know," Leon corrected, smirking slightly at Cid's guttural grunt of agreement.

Yuffie pouted mildly at the gang-up, but she wasn't about to let that hinder her from the getting the information that she wanted. She looked pleadingly at Aerith and gestured with hand gestured that she was actually looking for an answer to her question. She eventually wandered over to Aerith's side and investigated herself, blinking as she found what seemed like a gather considerable chuck of information. She covered her mouth and looked wide-eyed over at Aerith. "Blood is not supposed to be mostly black and inky!! Euw! That's so gross!"

"Bloody Heartless!" Cid yelled and rubbed the side of his noise with his thumb, shooting a sizeable glare at the blonde General. So, the other blonde was turning into a Heartless, was he? Cid could quickly fix that! "We don't need another fuckin' Heartless here!"

Leon noted quickly that Cloud was not about to make a response to Cid's heated words. They had all be affected by the Heartless of the planet and tempers simmered hot at the mention of a normal person slowly turning into one. Usually the process to becoming a Heartless was instaneous simply because the heart was weak and could give into the darkness easily, but the General was a strong heart and would fight to the bitter end. He strode to stand next to the General, looking the blonde in the eye. "How long, General? Until..."

Cloud silently shook his head, searching the planet for the answer. It slipped him a soft response and gave him new indications of the multitude of changes he was already undergoing. He raised his right hand and stared at his fingers, noting the black fingernails he now bore. He sighed heavily and met Leon's gaze. "If the rate continues as it has been since my second darkness treatment, a week at the most. If it speeds up considerably, between a couple of hours and the end of the day. It depends if I rest or not."

Cid threw his hands up in the air and marched over to a nearby chair, grabbing it in his hands. He lifted the chair, not bothering to care that it looked like he was about the beat the snot out of the blonde General with a chair. He marched noisily behind Cloud, slammed the chair down, walked around the blonde and shoved in Cloud down to the chair. "There, you're restin'. No bloody Heartless!"

Aerith couldn't help but smile at Cid's grudging manner of admitting how important Cloud's survival was to all of Hollow Bastion. Cid had not been informed of all of the information surrounding Cloud, but the older man had been told that Cloud was a friend and ally to them no matter his mental and physical state. The fact that Cid had brought Cloud to them without questioning her adoptive father showed the older blonde's fondness for the returning General. She smiled warmly at Cid and lay her hands gently on Cloud's shoulders, urging her adoptive father to remain seated and resting.

Cloud sighed heavily and gladly sat for a moment, closing his eyes and leaning his elbows on his knees. He remained silent even as Yuffie started to chat idly to the group, her happy bubbly voice shifting in his mind as he retreated and listened only to the tones of the people around him, each person a contribution to the echos of his own mind, reminding him vaguely of the waves of the sea. They would wash in then wash out again, each tone washing over the beach in a different manner, time slipping over him without a single care about him. It felt good to sit and feel the planet's whispers in him mind.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Yuffie asked as quietly as she could manage, noting that it appeared that the General had fallen asleep. "He doesn't look so good..."

Leon passed a glance down at the resting blonde, noting that Cloud's eyes were closed and the blonde appeared to be sleeping. He didn't really think that the General was actually fast asleep since they would have trouble waking the blonde up again by the stories of how heavily Cloud slept. He passed a glance over at Aerith, noting her silent worry. "I think he'll be alright if he rests."

"The little bastard better not do anything stupid. We need 'im, so he better not get all selfish and die or I'll kill 'im!" Cid ignored the fact that he couldn't kill the General if Cloud was already dead, but he would find a way. He was not stupid. It was obvious that there was more to the dozing blonde than he was being told about, but that didn't matter to him so long as everything would be alright again.

Aerith smiled sadly and ran her hands over Cloud's slumped shoulders, feeling the silent tension that he was carrying. Her adoptive father was buckling under that strain, and it saddened her that he was forced to suffer alone. Still, she was happy that he had returned home again, aware of his love for Hollow Bastion. "He'll be alright. I can feel it, so long as he gets the peace he needs," she said quietly.

Cloud stiffened considerably as the planet went completely silent in his mind and a shot of pure energy slipped through his body. For a moment, he just sat, but his mind was touching the silence where the planet's low hum had been. He found the planet still in his conscious mind, but it seemed to be analyzing the source of the energy that had affected both himself and the Lifestream. 'What is it?' he finally asked when no answers surfaced to him.

The planet was silent for several more moments before it came to a sudden surgence of energy, the moment it had been waiting for finally arriving. 'Sealed! Kingdom Hearts sealed with the Keyblade! Heartless will stop!' The thousands of voice echoed all throughout the planet, its energy surging and raising a heated cry of joy. The final gate had been sealed away and was now safe from Ansem's hands, untouched for all time now that the Keyblade master had succeeded in the ultimate task. 'We are free!'

Cloud's eyes snapped open as he suddenly climbed to his feet, his attention still focused inwards as the planet's cries raged through him, strengthened energy surging through his entire body. He knew that such things couldn't be so simple, but the planet had been waiting too long for this moment to really care for now. He could feel the heat and joy, relief and chattering, happiness and enthusiasm echoing to every part of Hollow Bastion. 'Be calm, planet. It is a small victory...'

'It's a victory that changes the tide of battle! Rejoice our special child, for you now may rest without worry!' The planet's energy wrapped around the blonde, green wisps shifting through the floor to comfort the pain that still resided in its strong heart. It felt relief, as much as planet could, knowing that this large battle had finally been won for the light. 'Rest our child...' The planet suddenly curled away from rejoicing at a new feeling, one it didn't like.

"What the hell...?" Cid shouted as there suddenly an eerie feeling in the room. He looked around as the walls darkened suddenly. "This better be some shitty trick, Yuffie!"

Yuffie raised her hands up innocently, also looking around the room in confusion as to what was happening. She immediately whirled at the sound of something slamming against the wooden library door, skittering of many feet and hissing of claws against stone. "What is...?"

"Heartless! The Heartless are attacking this room!" Leon shouted, pulling his sword from behind his back, growling in frustration. Would it never end? "Aerith, Cid, get back!" he yelled while gesturing with his chin to a safer part of the room, his gaze swinging back to regard Yuffie and Cloud, noting that the General was swaying slightly. "General, you are in no condition to..."

"Step back, everyone," Cloud ordered as he raised his eyes, which glowed with an inhuman light, the skin of his demonic hand shifting and straining in his glove, the darkness in his body drawing all of the Heartless to him. He was their target, the sole target to grab hold of and drag into permanent darkness; the planet's joy had unwittingly gave his location away to all of the Heartless. "This is not your fight anymore. The Heartless are here for one purpose alone."

Yuffie looked between Cloud and Aerith. "We have to fight! They'll kill us all!"

Aerith watched Cloud, and suddenly became aware of the truth. The Heartless only needed one thing to bring down the planet, and that was Cloud. The planet's energy had reacted around Cloud for some reason, and now the Heartless knew for sure exactly where Cloud was. "They aren't here for us...are they papa? They are only here for you..."

Cloud could feel all eyes fall on him as the slamming on the door increased, the wood shuddering under the weight of force. He knew it wouldn't be long at all before the door gave way and the Heartless of Hollow Bastion flooded in to snuff out his light and end all light of the planet. "Everyone against the bookshelves out of the direct path leading to me. I'm the target, now get out of the way," his gaze shifted over to Leon who had not moved. "That is a direct order, Leonheart!"

"You heard the General, you lazy bastards! Get against the shelves!" Cid yelled seizing Aerith's arm and dragging the young woman over to safety. He knew better than to question the General, especially with Heartless knocking at the door, and he believed that Cloud knew what to do. "Don't you die, General, or I'll kill you!"

Leon likewise grabbed Yuffie and slipped in beside Cid into one corner of the room, pushing Yuffie and Aerith the furthest from harm. His gaze shifted back to the General who seemed to standing calmly in plain sight, and he came to realize that Cloud was acting as live bait so that the Heartless did not attack anything else in the room. He kept his mouth closed even as Yuffie protested this plan, keeping a firm hand on the woman's arm before he felt Aerith's warm hand grasp his free hand. He looked at her and gave a faint smile, hoping that everything would be alright. They were out of sight and compacted into a corner, so he hoped that they would just be passed by.

Cloud could feel the planet panicking, trying to convince him to take safety for some rest, but he shut out the voices and concentrated on the slamming of the door. He watched the wood begin to splinter and shudder under the weight of force, taking a step back when inky black shadows started to pull through the open cracks of the door, small Heartless pulling up from the floor and skittering towards him faster than normal. He reached back for his sword, and he blinked when his hand met empty air, suddenly coming to the realization that he still had no weapon. The moment that realization hit him was the same movement the door blew off of its hinges and Heartless flooding into the room, all attention set on him.

"CLOUD!" Aerith screamed helplessly, having seen him reach for a sword that wasn't there and hearing the door break down.

Cloud turned on his heel and bolted in the opposite direction, leaping onto the wooden table before launching off of it onto the staircase in time to have the table get smashed by a normally slow-moving Defender. He cursed as he found himself faced with a sudden choice, up the stairs or through the window. He didn't have time to think about the choice as he found himself quickly being surrounded, letting out a small pained cry as dark claws raked the back of his legs, his own darkness reacting as the black veins surged with power and attempted to cripple him.

He suddenly launched for the window, raising his arms in front of his face as he slammed his shoulder into the glass, actually glad when the material shattered under his strength. He felt the sting of glass cutting into his arms and brushing against his cheeks as well as the pain of claws grasping for him, but he knew he was in freefall, heading towards the ocean. However, that didn't matter now, not with the Heartless following him out of the window.

Cloud looked behind him as he fell, twisting out of the way of a Defender's shield that had been thrown his way, arching backwards in time to catch the armour-ladened shoulder in his back, a wince of pain leaving him as his wounded shoulder protested. He was jarred forward with the hit, closing his eyes against the welling darkness around him, clawed hands reaching out to grasp him, feeling them dig into the flesh of his legs, grip his shoulders, cloak, anything the Heartless could grab onto.

His eyes opened as warmth passed by his face, his gaze shifting the softly glowing stone that Aerith had given him, finding it strangely odd that the small precious sphere moved faster than either he or the Heartless. He watched it tumble in the air as many hands latched onto his body, the planet surging within his mind with anger, but Cloud merely watched the small stone with a soft smile on his face.

He understood finally. After all the time of not wanted to have the stone away from him, he finally understood why. It was precious to him, a gift from his adoptive daughter when they first left Hollow Bastion, though she had only insisted it into his hands when he left to find out about Sephiroth. The small glowing stone was an embodiment of all of the happy memories that he had, often rolling it in his hands absently as he remembered times of old when he was happy. He had placed images of his mother, Aerith, Zax, and Sephiroth in that stone, memories that he could and never would forget because they brought a smile to his lips. It had been the source of happiness when he was surrounded by darkness always, tucking away in a pocket or resting on his pillow. It had never left his side throughout it all.

With a warm smile, Cloud reached out to take the stone back in hand, to remember all that was warm and happy in his life. He was not surprised when the stone slowed and drifted willingly into his palm, closing his fingers around its warmth as energy surged throughout all of Hollow Bastion. "I am more than what I have become," he said softly, remembering the bitter arrogant unicorn from Atlantis. "I am the keeper of the planet."

The stone in his hand surged with blinding green light that blew all of the Heartless grabbing and attacking him away, allowing him safe freefall. He saw himself enter the water long before he felt it, all of the clothes he had been wearing melting away as he curled up, holding the stone close to his heart. He felt warmth around him, green wisps stroking his naked skin lovingly, not having to look to know that he was been pulled into the Lifestream of the planet.

Thousands of voices echoed around him, some whispering some noisily screaming incoherently. The life of the planet, the life he belonged to and protected, wrapped around him, pushing all of his darkness away as his hair began to grow out at an inhuman rate, gold turning to silver that danced and covered his nudeness. He felt his back jerk and the muscles shuddered as they pulled apart and allowed room for the seven great wings to emerge from his flesh, green light pouring from the gashes that appeared in his flesh and solidified into shimmering wispy feathers on wings. The energy of the planet crackled around him, the black veins that covered his body disappearing to allow for perfect unblemished skin that glowed softly.

Cloud uncurled from his ball as green wisps wrapped around his waist, weaving together to create a blanket of material that slipped over his hips and thighs before arching off to one side. The wisps whirled and surged with power, the green turning into white silk. A chained belt of silver slipped around his waist and dangled down with the white cloth, four green stones molded into the silver and glimmered with memory of those important to him that he had lost.

His wings flexed and folded against his back as he opened his eyes and looked around the Lifestream, a warm smile on his features. Slowly, he looked up the way that he came, feeling each source of darkness on the planet, locating each and the power level. "It is time to bring their hearts back from memory...for in their memories, they will find their freedom again."

'Child, rest...'

'There is no rest for those that are under the darkness' curse, so there is no rest for me until they are all free. Let me go, and do what I was created to do,' Cloud replied to the planet, feeling its warmth wrap around him like a blanket. It was feeling stronger just with his presence nearby, and he closed his eyes at the secure feeling that the planet brought to him. 'After my task is completed, I shall rest myself.'

The planet remained close by its strong heart, searching him silently. It became aware that the darkness within its strong heart remained tainting Cloud's body and only after it was purged would the blonde be free. Even long after everyone else was freed from the darkness, Cloud would have to struggle out of the claws of darkness. It released its hold on its child and nodded him off towards the surface again. 'We shall send help, child...promised help.'

Cloud looked over his shoulder at the planet's essence, cocking his head to the side when he found that the planet would give him no answer to the puzzle. He shook his head and drifted towards the surface again, moving out of the Lifestream back into the world of the living, his form pushing up from the waters of the ocean, a bubble surrounding him as he floated upwards before melting away. His wings pushed out from his back and flapped with power, his form racing up the way he had fallen.

His gaze settled on a Heartless flying at him from the library, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. With a flick of his wrist, his planetary sword came into being from his palm, passing by the Heartless on the way up, his sword cutting cleanly through the black flesh. He stopped in midair as the blackness melted away and left the body of a small child that he seized from the air. He smiled warmly down at the little girl. "Hello, Marlene. You've grown since the last time I saw you, little one." He chuckled when the child began to cry softly and he pulled the little girl close as he flew upwards. "No need to cry. Your heart is free of the darkness."

Cloud let his bare feet settle on shards of broken glass that he had jumped from previously. He stepped through the window and stood on the stairs before putting down the child in his arms, his gaze shifting up to look at the four people occupying the room. He laughed merrily at their shocked faces, finding Cid's particularly humourous. He gestured down to the crying child. "This is Marlene, everyone. Please keep her safe for me until I find her mother."

Yuffie was the first to gain her voice at the sight of Cloud looking...well, great! "Geez, you're hot! How did you do that?"

"Shut yer trap, you!" Cid yelled back at Yuffie, covering her eyes with one hand. "You're too young to see a man without a shirt on." He looked over at the General, truly shocked by the man's sudden appearance change. He thought the blonde had perished in the fall into the ocean with so many Heartless. "How in the hell did you grow that much hair?!"

Cloud laughed and leaned against his sword, folding his wings on his back as he looked over at the broken down door, cocking his head to the side as a Defender stormed into the room. He looked down at Marlene who was wiping away her tears and staring up at him with bewilderment. "Would you like to see some butterflies, Marlene?" He grinned when the little girl instantly smiled and nodded her head up at him. "Alright, I'll show you butterflies."

He extended a hand towards the cautiously approaching Defender and beckoned it with his fingers. He looked over at the four moving out to watch what he was about to do, his eyes narrowing as he concentrated on the Heartless. His hand lit up with green energy that formed a ball in his palm that arched out at the Defender, striking it in the chest. "Take back your heart, Williams!"

The Defender stopped moving and shuddered, its armour clattering noisily as it spasmed, the large shield dropping from its hands. Green light poured out from the Defender's chest before its form exploded in green light, all the darkness blasting outwards to suddenly turn into colourful butterflies that began to fly around the room. In the darknesses place stood a very bewildered and confused Royal Guard, looking around the room with wide eyes. Williams came back to himself and looked at his General, instantly recognizing the man.

Cloud bowed his head to the man and noted that Aerith stood beside him and was scooping up Marlene to watch the butterflies. His gaze turned to regard Aerith, a warm smile pulling at his lips. "Help those that you can, and I will do the rest, Aerith." He turned towards the window again and hopped back up onto glass, swiveling when Aerith called to him. Not even the glass cut into his naked feet. "Yes?"

"Don't push yourself too much, papa," Aerith said with a warm smile on her face.

Cloud winked at Aerith before he dropped from the window, his wings spreading as he headed towards the ground where a significant portion of Heartless had gathered. He twirled in the air with a soft laugh before landing himself in the middle of the group of about one hundred, all waiting for him.

"I am the planet's keeper, and you are not worthy. Be gone darkness!" He threw his hands outwards as he gathered energy, a shockwave blowing out from his body, slashing into all of the Heartless of the area, the black forms melting away to reveal confused, normal people who had lost the battle of the darkness. He looked around himself, feeling a Heartless drawing close to the area, teleporting in a sudden explosion of green wisps before slashing his sword into a Heartless that had managed to evade his attack behind many of the other now freed people. Its black form also melted away, leaving an older man staring at him.

"It's...it's the General!" One woman cried out.

"General Strife!" Another chimed. "Amazing!"

"What happened to us, General?!" A man called above them all.

Cloud rose into the air again so that he could see everyone. "Go home. You are free of the darkness that threatened our planet! Be free again!" Without waiting for them the respond with anything above astonished whispers, he launched into the air, landing on the topmost portion of the castle.

He breathed heavily and leaned against a pillar for support. He took a few moments to gather his energy again, not used to expending that much power all at once. He needed time to get used to this form, the energy he controlled, and the toll said power took on his body. He absently brushed a long lock back over his naked shoulder and looked out over the ocean, his smile faltering. "There's never enough time...is there?"

'Rest, child! Rest and be well. You push too hard, our blessed child!' The planet cooed softly in the back of his mind, pulling at his consciousness urgently. It worried for the state of the people, but it was more worried for the state of its strong heart. People could be created, their strong heart needed rest. 'Rest, little one.'

Cloud shook his head and pushed off of the pillar he had been leaning on, walking to the ledge as he stared out over the lands he was to protect. 'There is no time to rest. The Heartless will move to recapture the hearts that are now freed. They all must be freed before I can rest.' He shut out the planet's protests to a dull whispering in the back of his mind. 'They must be free before I can be free...'

He raised his hands and extended them outwards, palms up. He closed his eyes and gathered as much energy as he could, creating a ball of green light that surged with power and light, all that he had left. He ignored the planet's screams for him to stop, pulling the ball to his naked chest so that it had a direct connection to his heart. Using his own pure heart, he located every source of darkness and heaved a heavy sigh, swaying slightly on his feet. 'For freedom, I give it all...'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The planet scrambled as its strong heart began to expend too much energy at one time. It screamed and writhed as Cloud tapped into all of the energy that he could, too aware that the blonde would put too much in too soon. It searched through its essence and grasped one in particular, dragging it forward for the greater consciousness to scrutinize.

It called up its own energy to create a body around the small glowing green ball of life, pulling together a body for the soul to inhabit. If its strong heart would not stop, then the planet needed to send aid to force Cloud into rest after the darkness had been removed from the planet. The only one that it could call forward and not have to expend an extreme amount of energy for was Sephiroth, for the simple fact that the man had only been dead a short period of time. Also, it was aware of the strong heart's desire to see the silver-haired General again.

Sephiroth opened his eyes to regard the essence he had come to understand as the Lifestream. He looked down and watched his body come into being again, closing his eyes at the warm feeling of flesh surrounding him again. He opened his eyes when his body had come back into being, crossing his arms across his naked chest. "This had better be good. I was enjoying my state of non-existent individuality." He couldn't help the sarcasm that crept into his voice.

If the planet thought that Zax was bad, it certainly wanted little to do with the silver-haired General so soon after the man entered the Lifestream. Still, it had entered a contract of its own to allow the silver-haired man's death so that Cloud could return to Hollow Bastion. It had promised to return Sephiroth to life again in exchange for lying in defeat to Cloud, and it always kept its word. 'Protect him.'

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow and let out a surprised cry of pain as his right shoulder twisted in a state of pain, his hand instinctively going back to hold the injury. He looked over his shoulder as the flesh began to bulge before bursting open, a single white wing pulling free from his flesh, a mirror image of the wing he used to have save for it being white instead of black. He touched the appendage curiously before looking at the planet. "You're sending me back so soon? How much time has passed since my dead?"

'Not long enough,' the planet replied, all voices working in dry unison. If it could glare, it would have, so it just gave the silver-haired man the impression mentally that it was glaring at him. Still, for the well-being of its strong heart, it would send Sephiroth back to the world of the living. 'Our child requires aid. His purging will be the most difficult. You must protect him in his time of weakness.'

"You're sending me back for Strife?" Sephiroth questioned softly, cocking his head curiously to the side. So, Cloud was in trouble again or still remained in danger. He slowly nodded his head without thinking about it. He would go back and take care of the blonde if the planet wanted it such. "What is it you want me to do?"

The planet was pleased with Sephiroth's receptiveness to its request. 'Take him away from the people to rest. Let the darkness slip from him quietly and bring him out into the open once again. Let our child enter freedom for the first time since his birth as a mortal.'

Sephiroth let his hands fall back to his sides and considered this before nodding his head. "I know of a place outside of town, a cabin..." He didn't need to describe it anymore, getting the distinct feeling that the planet already knew what he was talking about. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "You're sure about sending me?"

'He wants to see you again,' was the planet's only reply before he ejected Sephiroth from the Lifestream completely. 'Let light and strong heart meet again on personal terms...'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Cloud breathed heavily as he suddenly arched his back and released his hold on the ball of energy in his hands. It floated above his head, surging with energy and bubbling before it split apart into thousands of lines of green light, all arching off to different parts of Hollow Bastion, passing through stone, water and darkness. Each strand of light found a different Heartless, the light melting away the shadow and freeing every individual that belonged to Hollow Bastion.

It really only took a very short period of time to free all of Hollow Bastion from the hold of the darkness, but the toll it took on the already weakened strong heart was a heavy price. The people were freed of their curse, bewildered and not certain of the passage of time, yet all were aware of the individual responsible for their freedom. The people were overjoyed and searched down relatives, friends and comrades, a celebration quickly unfolding. There were tears, and there was laughter.

Cloud remained watching over those who had acquired freedom again with a tired smile on his face, his eyes beginning to close as he swayed on his feet. He was exhaused and his body had begun to tremble as black veins began to slowly push to the surface of his skin again, the sword in his hand disintegrating as the darkness that held his body returned to him. His wings flickered before pulling into his back again, sealed away in his flesh again. A heavy sigh left him as he began to crumple to the ground, his eyes closing as he knees touched down on cold stone.

His eyes snapped open when an arm slipped around his waist and pulled him gently upright again. "You've come back," was all he said quietly, not having to look to know that Sephiroth was keeping him from falling from the ledge. He didn't resist when the older man slipped an arm under his legs and stood cradling him, instead allowing his head to rest against Sephiroth's chest.

Sephiroth stared down at the blonde in his arms, noting how awful Cloud looked suddenly. He felt the naked skin under his arms cool considerably and the light that surrounded the blonde's skin fade. Really, the only thing that gave Cloud away as something more was the long silvery gold hair that continued to cascade down the blonde's back beautifully. He pulled the smaller form closer to his own and folded his wing against his back, getting used the feel of leather around his body again as the planet had somehow managed to return his old clothing to him. Still, he felt concern for the young man who had given it all for the freedom of the planet, just as Cloud had said that he would long ago.

He shifted and walked to the ledge, looking out all around them at the planet, his own mind free of insanity with the purging of the darkness from his body. It felt good to just stand and take in the beauty of the planet again instead of obsessing over minute details on how to get Cloud into his possession. He found the irony that the moment he lost his insanity, the blonde was now willingly in his possession and accepting his touch. It didn't matter though, since he had been handed back a life to keep Cloud out of more danger. Though the planet was free, he could feel Cloud struggling to keep the darkness that had settled in the blonde's body away from destroying the battle.

He looked down at the blonde in his arms and lightly shook Cloud. "You're in no condition to do anything but rest. I'm here to make sure that you do, by brute force if required, though you cannot fight back currently." He shifted his hold on Cloud, smirking when the blonde opened a blue eye to regard him. "You are coming with me even if you protest, little canary." He blinked when Cloud smiled up at him, finding the expression hauntingly beautiful.

Cloud lifted a hand and touched the white wing against Sephiroth's shoulder, examining it closely before leaning against Sephiroth. Even if he wanted to fight, he wouldn't be able to at this point. He had used too much energy and now was forced to allow Sephiroth to take him elsewhere. He didn't find that thought as displeasing as he probably should have, but he knew of Sephiroth. "So, my light gets to cage me then?"

Sephiroth stiffened at Cloud's words, looking down into the blonde's sleepy face before looking away. He had said many things when he was insane, some of which he wished had not slipped passed his lips at all. However, there was nothing he could do to change his insanity or the actions taken under it, but he could build on what actions were still to come.

Pushing his thoughts away for the moment, he stepped from the ledge and floated downwards gracefully, shifting his hand around the material surrounding the blonde's waist to make sure that Cloud was decent. "There is no cage strong enough to contain you, my canary," he finally responded when he knew that no one but Cloud could hear. "It will be just you and I alone for some time until you are well enough again."

"Alone, eh?" Cloud half-smiled at that, chuckling when Sephiroth stiffened again. He knew that the silver-haired man was about the defend the wording with a 'that's not what I meant, Strife' statement, but he simply closed his eyes and rested his head against Sephiroth's chest. "I think I may like that. I'm...tired."

Sephiroth let his defense of his words fall into silent as Cloud rested against him willingly, just like the blonde had in the dream encounter. "You will rest yourself, Cloud. Enough is enough...you've pushed yourself too hard for too long."

Cloud nodded his head slowly and sighed heavily. "Where are we going then?"

"I...own a cabin in the forest where I used to spend a lot of my time training. That was the only place I could go to get any semblence of a vacation." Sephiroth looked down at Cloud before setting them down on one of the main paths around the palace, hearing the cheers of the people nearby. "I'm going to take you there. It has everything we need, I should think. It's quiet..."

"Does it overlook the sea?" Cloud interrupted quietly.

Sephiroth chuckled and sighed heavily. "Yes, there is a path that leads down to a place that overlooks the sea. The sunsets are particularly beautiful this time of year." He began to walk down across the stone, trying to avoid as many people as possible, since the last thing that Cloud needed was to be ambushed by adoring fans at this point. "Why do you like the sea so much?"

"It's always there...always different, like me..." Cloud said quietly, keeping his eyes closed as he rested. He put his trust that Sephiroth knew what to do with him at this point in time, not having the energy to really keep up so much with the conversation. Even he had to admit that sleeping sounded like a very good plan right about now.

"Is the sea always alone then?" Sephiroth asked, thinking that Cloud might have fallen asleep already. However, when the blonde unwittingly stiffened in his arms, he knew that Cloud had heard him. He was not surprisd when he got no responce from Cloud, thinking that he might have rattled the blonde with the question enough where Cloud simply didn't want to answer him. So even the strong heart of the planet could be forced silent with a question, he thought. He tightened his hold on the blonde and slipped into a shadow to avoid being seen. "Sleep, little canary. We'll be away from here and you can watch your sea...."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Gah! Trying to figure out where to end this badboy was difficult! It just kept going on and on and on as soon as Sephiroth showed up. I suppose that it ended well enough, but I suppose that I could rework it later. Oh well, I will leave it for now.

No, this isn't the end of the fic. There are probably two more chapters before it ends, then I might actually be able to get some Seph x Cloud bonding going since now they will be all alone with each other. I really didn't do much of it as of late, at least, not that I can remember. Yeah, everyone is trying to convince Cloud that something is there, but he has to come to realize it before anything can happen. Cloud's such a stubborn brat sometimes. 


	16. From Darkness to Light

Darkness Rising By Chibi Nataku

Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)

AUTHOR'S WARNING: This fic has been bumped up to a yaoi pairing between Sephiroth and Cloud. You have been warned so proceed at your own risk. So far, it is merely some shounen-ai, but it might turn a bit more in later chapters.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: ... ... ... okay, blatant physical affection, teasing of the readers, and humourous bickering ahead. You have been warned. Also, hinting at lemon or something...

Chapter 15 - From Darkness to Light

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Sephiroth stared down at the smaller form sleeping soundly next to him, his fingers lightly tracing the black veins that criss-crossed below the surface of the sleeping blonde's skin, feeling the cold grip that still remained on Cloud's body. He would have liked to move about the small cabin that they were staying in, but he found that Cloud would awaken if he left the blonde's side. He knew it was because Cloud's body was having trouble maintaining a warm body temperature and required the added heat of another person, but the convenience of having to lie beside the blonde constantly slipped into his mind. He had Cloud resting, and already they seemed to be setting up a routine with one another.

The day would start off with him waking up first, usually before the sun had risen, and he would grab a nearby book and begin to read. Usually twenty pages into the book, Cloud would awaken, issue a sleepy 'good morning' and proceed to grab the nearest object - thankfully a bucket after the first three attempts that went arry - and throw up inky black liquid for about three minutes. Sephiroth would hold back Cloud's long hair - now contained in a braid after the first time ended in less beautifying colour change - and rub the blonde's back soothingly during the entire event. Once Cloud had managed to calm his body's violent upheaval, Sephiroth would wet a cloth and wipe away any remaining black from the blonde's lips. He would then get up and wander about the room and force some food into Cloud, who was often stubborn about eating, but Sephiroth refused to have the blonde lose anymore weight than Cloud already had. At some point during the morning, Cloud would sheepishly mention of being cold or just sit and shiver, and Sephiroth would slip back into bed with the blonde. They would talk quietly until Cloud once again fell back asleep.

Though Cloud had asked to get up and wander outside into the sun, Sephiroth had refused for now. He felt that Cloud was in no real condition to be going outside for any reason, and he would stick to that thought until the blonde could maintain consciousness for more than a hour or two. He was feeling rather cramped in the cabin, having to been stuck lying with Cloud for a week straight now. However, he contented himself with reading up on books that he had long forgotten and getting used to being completely sane again. Despite his gain of sanity, he did take some advantage of Cloud being helpless by keeping the blonde's body close to his own and often times, spending long hours touching Cloud's skin, smoothing down the often rigid muscles. Certainly, Cloud could have protested, but he found the greatest fight the blonde put up at this point in time was struggling with the sheets, and even then, Cloud lost most of the time.

Since the freedom of Hollow Bastion, Cloud had weakened considerably, all of the strain finally crippling the blonde to the point where Cloud almost required constant care. As far as Sephiroth could tell, the planet had withdrew from Cloud's mind when the blonde was awake, often times checking Cloud's condition through him rather than making contact with the blonde directly. He didn't have any sort of communication with the essence of the planet, but he could tell when it slipped into his mind while he watched over the strong heart. He supposed that he didn't mind that contact with the planet, considering he technically was Cloud's light - the job description for that was still alien to him at this point.

He shifted himself back and pushed Cloud's sleeping form forward, his gaze locking on the mostly white bandage that covered the blonde's left shoulder blade. The wound from where Cloud's wing used to be was still present and was always oozing black liquid, though it did sometimes scab over. He had come to realize that the scab was not productive to Cloud's health, and he had to take painful measures to remove it to keep the inky black liquid flowing from the wound. Despite Cloud's protests during the event, the blonde always felt better afterwards.

Sephiroth looking up slightly when Cloud groaned softly and began to awaken from the usual afternoon nap. He pulled Cloud's body back gently against his own frame, feeling the muscles of the blonde's back relax as their skin came into contact. He leaned over his canary and smiled slightly when Cloud's eyes flicked open slowly, though he did note that Cloud was looking paler than before. "We have to change your bandage, canary."

Cloud's attention shifted up to regard Sephiroth, a heavy sigh leaving him at the thought of a bandage change. He hated the feel of darkness flooding through his body, but he admitted that he was feeling considerably better with resting. Still, throwing up the darkness that flowed through the veins on his body every morning and having to get his shoulder knifed open was not fun. Still, he was forced to endure the treatment because it felt better, and the darkness in his system was already starting to decrease, the veins on his legs were starting to recede, and his fingernails were making progress to turn back to a normal colour. Even his demonic hand looked less sinister in his mind, though it throbbed painfully throughout most of the time that he was actually awake.

He pushed himself up into sitting position and stretched, scratching at the place that was just below the bandage on his left shoulder. He felt Sephiroth sit up beside him and begin to undo the tie of the bandage, never really a man to wait for anything when a job was required. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his stretched out legs as Sephiroth began to pull the bandage away. "How long was I sleeping for?" he asked softly.

Sephiroth looked down at Cloud's back and continued to remove the white bandage that had a sizeable dried black mark where Cloud was still wounded. "Only a few hours this time," was his reply as he finally pulled away the sticky black gauze that covered the wound, looked disgusted and tossed the material in a nearby bucket used for garbage at the moment. He examined the horrible looking wound and muttered, "the things I do for you, Strife."

Cloud sent a small glare over his shoulder at Sephiroth. "I never asked you to do this, Sephiroth. Just leave the wound open to bleed freely." He tried to pull away from the older man's touch, not surprised in the least when Sephiroth's hand landed on his right shoulder and held him in place. Despite Sephiroth complaints to annoy him, the older man took very good care of him, always worried about his state of health.

"The bandage stays, canary." Sephiroth had argued this point with Cloud for two days, and he had yet to relent.

Cloud looked back at Sephiroth, wincing at the sight of the wound on his shoulder, but he kept his gaze on the silver-haired man. Canary had somehow become his nickname, and he was not so sure that he completely hated it. The manner that Sephiroth called him 'canary' had changed considerably, more a slightly affectionate word than a stake to claim him as property. He did not protest the name, since the only other nicknames he had ever received was 'sunshine' from his mother and 'spike' by Zax. The fact that Sephiroth had never bothered with silly nicknames before, but suddenly had one for him, made him relax with the comfort level between them.

He looked over sharply when Sephiroth got out of the bed, following the older man's movements with his eyes out of pure habit - he could just follow Sephiroth by the light of the man's heart. He groaned when Sephiroth picked up his boot knife and put his face in his hands, wishing he didn't have to do this ever again. He shook his head when Sephiroth sat next to him, stiffening at the sound of blade leaving sheath. "It scabbed?"

"Hold still," came Sephiroth's reply as he pushed the flat of the blade up against Cloud's shoulder blade.

"Just leave it," Cloud ordered heatedly.

"No, sit still," Sephiroth reprimanded back.

"I don't want to," Cloud shot back before trying to pull himself away from the cool blade that was pressed up against his flesh.

Sephiroth looked at Cloud with a heavy sigh. Somehow, they managed to bicker with each other just like old times when there was an invisible line of competition between them. "Stop acting like a child and sit still. This will only take a minute..."

"Of pure utter agony!" Cloud growled back.

"Stop being melodramatic," Sephiroth replied dryly as he slowly began to drag the blade up Cloud's shoulder, stopping when the blonde scrambled to grab onto something. He waited until Cloud's hands were firmly grasping onto the blanket and the blonde had rounded out his back before continuing forward. He felt Cloud tense the moment the blade made contact with the edge of the sickly black scab that marred the blonde's flesh. He waited for several seconds to make sure that Cloud was ready. "Hold still," he finally ordered.

Cloud growled back, "quit leaving me in suspense and do it!" He pulled his legs up slightly and buried his face into his knees. He let out an initial cry of pain as the blade cleanly sliced through the scab, cutting it away cleanly. He bit his lower lip as sudden pain slipped away into throbbing release, black blood slipping down his back quickly. He felt a wet cloth press up against the wound, Sephiroth wiping away the inky black from his back. "Is it looking any better?"

Sephiroth wiped away the quickly flowing black liquid, probably not even blood, his attention shifting to the nearby table where he grabbed the sizeable bag of gauze. He lifted the wet towel to investigate the wound. "It's bleeding a lot better since we first started doing this. It now just flows freely instead of me having to cut or squeeze it, which is a good sign."

"Still all black?" Cloud questioned softly.

"It would seem so at the moment. Once it starts to actually bleed, I should probably stop cutting you." Sephiroth held the towel against Cloud's back, trying to get the wound to bleed out as much as possible, to release as much of the taint as he could before bandaging it up again. He let his free hand stroke the small of Cloud's back soothingly and leaned his cheek against Cloud's uninjured shoulder. "Are you feeling any better?"

Cloud pulled his head from his knees and looked over at Sephiroth, smiling slightly at the sight of two bangs and two glowing aqua eyes staring at him from over his shoulder. "Yeah, it always feels better after the fact," he said quietly allowing his back to straighten up again, pushing himself back towards Sephiroth's warmth. "I'm going outside today," he stated quietly.

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow, wondering if this was going to turn into another bickering match between them. All previous conversations along this line ended up in a battle of wills that he always won on the simple grounds that he was stronger than Cloud at this point. He shook his head and pulled his chin back, wiping at the wound again. "No, you aren't. It's raining outside anyway. The last thing you need is a cold because I'm not babying you more than I already am. You stay inside today." His tone was unquestionable, a General's tone.

"No, I'm going to go outside," Cloud informed Sephiroth with the same General's tone. He held the same rank as Sephiroth, and he made sure that the silver-haired man knew it.

"No, Cloud," Sephiroth replied as neutrally as he could manage. This was so turning into bickering.

"Yes, I am," Cloud shot back, throwing Sephiroth a dirty look.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No," Sephiroth stated tersely, seizing Cloud's shoulders and shoving the blonde down against the bed. He easily pinned Cloud down to the bed, grabbing the blackened towel and pressing against the blonde's wounded shoulder. "That's final, canary. You can go outside when I can't pin you down so easily. Until then, you are under my watch and I dictate where you can and cannot go. Understood?"

Cloud shifted under Sephiroth's hold, frustrated that he couldn't even struggle at this point in time. He would be sure to show Sephiroth when he got his strength back that he still was the strong heart. Of course, he could play dirty and seize control of Sephiroth's essence and force the older man away from him, but he silently enjoyed the stubborn care that Sephiroth offered him. As before, Sephiroth was only looking out for his well-being, and he was aware that the older man was going as crazy in this confined space as he was.

So, he relented his struggles and lay quietly, relaxing his body against the bed again. He didn't move even when Sephiroth released him, instead just settling himself in comfortably to the mattress. A smile pulled at the corners of his lips when he thought about how much they had been bickering with each other lately, a battle to get used to one another's presence again. He found that both he and Sephiroth had warmed up to one another once they had bickered a few times, and he settled in resting against the older man. He didn't think that he was really awake long enough to really be able to cause any serious fights, and he found himself not minding the physical contact between them.

Sephiroth's eyes flicked up to Cloud's face as he wiped away some more black liquid before pulling the towel away and applying a thick layer of gauze to the wound. He slipped an arm under Cloud's hips and pulled the blonde upright again, holding the gauze in place with his other hand before he shifted himself so that Cloud could lean back comfortably against him. He grabbed some long bandage and began to carefully wrap Cloud's shoulder again so that the gauze remained in place no matter what the blonde did. He wrapped the shoulder, holding it in place by wrapped the bandage under Cloud's arm and across the blonde's muscled chest. He tested the bandage afterwards before casually running his hands down Cloud's arms, feeling the hardened muscles relax under his touch. "Relax, canary."

Cloud looked over his now bandaged shoulder at Sephiroth and sighed heavily, fully leaning his weight back against the silver-haired man. He felt Sephiroth's legs slip on either side of his body, aware that they were so much physically closer than he would have allowed only days ago. His father's words about his obvious trust issues had driven him to allow his guard down a little more around Sephiroth instead of avoiding the topic completely and rebelling against the older man on principle. He even admitted with grudging acceptance that he did enjoy having Sephiroth so close to him, finding his usual loneliness slip away when Sephiroth lay quietly beside him.

Sephiroth slowly extracted himself from behind Cloud, smirking at the slightly mournful look he was thrown as his feet touched down on the floor. He padded over into the small kitchen and rooted through the cupboards, having it timed perfectly when the blonde was most receptive to eat, Cloud working like clockwork sometimes. He quickly began to throw together some soup, Cloud's main diet at this point, and looked over his shoulder at the quiet blonde. "Are you hungry, canary?"

"A little," Cloud replied as he looked over at Sephiroth. He slipped his naked legs over the side of the bed, setting them on the cool floor. He winced at how cool his skin felt before he grasped one of the sheets and pulled it up with him, casually wrapping it around his nude lower half, aware of Sephiroth's eyes watching him silently. He stood on slightly shaky legs and walked slowly over to where the older man was standing, grabbing the long silvery gold braid and pulling it over his undamaged shoulder as he walked. He stopped when he was just in touching distance to Sephiroth, leaning over to investigate the possibility of a meal. "What are you making?"

Sephiroth smirked and continued with his activities, having actually mastered this part of the art known as cooking. Elecia had beaten some aspects of domestication into him and had taught him a few things about taking care of himself instead of relying on the abilities of others. "Soup, canary," he replied softly, glancing over at Cloud to find the blonde's expression slightly soured. "You know you can't keep anything else in your stomach at this point."

"...I know..." Cloud responded sheepishly before lifting his own hands to help Sephiroth, blinking when his hands were suddenly slapped lightly. He looked up at Sephiroth and glared slightly, again trying to help, if only to prove to himself that he didn't need to be babied all the time by the older man. He gritted his teeth when his hands were again batted away. "I can help, you know. I learned to cook long before you did!"

Sephiroth chuckled as Cloud did some mild pouting. "Untrue, canary. I learned to cook when you weren't even thought of, but we were both taught by the same person." He smirked when the blonde's eyes narrowed and Cloud made another attempt to help him. He could tell by Cloud's obvious stubborn expression that the blonde was not about to give up unless forced, and Sephiroth could only grin at that fact. He knew exactly what would send Cloud away obediently, or at least drop the younger man's attempts to do what Cloud should not be doing.

Before Cloud could react away, Sephiroth swiveled to face the blonde and snaked his arms around Cloud's waist, dragging the blonde's body up against his own. He leaned down and pressed his lips against Cloud's soft ones, chuckling softly when Cloud froze in the embrace and stared up at him wide-eyed. He didn't keep the simple kiss between them very long, not wishing to cause Cloud to struggle against him and risk more injury. Pulling back, he ran a hand down the side of the blonde's face, cupping Cloud's cheek. "Go and rest, canary. I would feel better if I knew you weren't straining yourself."

Cloud found himself wordlessly walking back towards the bed before he had fully processed what had just occurred between them, cursing softly every time that Sephiroth used that trick on him. His lips still tingled and his mind kept stalling over and over again as he walked back, looking down when his knees touched the edge of the bed. All he knew for sure was that he had just been convinced back to the bed because of a kiss, and the more terrifying knowledge that he had liked the closeness. He looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth and reached up to touch his lips, to force himself to come to terms with what he had just experienced.

Sephiroth watched Cloud out of the corner of his eye, a smirk pulling at his lips at the utterly bewildered look that the blonde wore. Perhaps all he needed to be was a bit more daring with Cloud at this point in time, since whenever he did become overly affectionate, Cloud just froze then quickly warmed up to him. It seemed to him that Cloud was just hiding behind the fear of only thinking about what such affections felt like. He would be sure to break Cloud of that nasty little habit, since having Cloud come back to tentatively give him affection back was something that he found himself not being able to get enough of. Every sheepish call, every shift of Cloud back against him, every soft expression from the blonde... he desired more of them, and he would get what he wanted.

Cloud flopped down heavily on the edge of the bed before lying back completely, allowing his feet to remain on the floor as he stared up at the ceiling. He could feel himself growing tired again, and it was weakness that he really hated, since he should have been able to stay up for more than a couple of hours by now. He folded his hands across his naked stomach, feeling how his skin had once again begun to warm, though not as much as it could be. Still, progress was progress, and he was feeling better even if he was exhausted most of the time. He began to count the number of knots in the wood roof, a mindless activity while his stomach began to murmur to the smell of soup, for once not trying to rebel on him.

Sephiroth shifted his gaze over to where Cloud was lying silently, cocking his head slightly with a smile. He quickly finished with the simple broth and brought it over to where Cloud would eat without having to move, stopping when his eyes dropped down to the blonde's long legs, finding the sheet that was covering Cloud's waist had shifted a little more to the left so that a considerable amount of thigh and even some hip was exposed. He vaguely wondered if Cloud was trying to either lead him on or punish him. He immediately went with the latter if Cloud even knew how much that skin was inviting. He could wait. He had patience. There was no need to push at this point in time.

"Are you going to sit up, canary?" he asked as casually as he could manage with soup bowls in either hand and trying to not stare at the invitingly long legs so close to his own. The fact that Cloud almost always slept naked was difficult enough to deal with, let alone having the blonde awake and taunting him.

Cloud's gaze shifted to where Sephiroth was standing next to him, slowly pushing himself up before sliding himself back on the bed, folding his legs in front of him as he reached up to take the bowl that Sephiroth offered him. He actually found himself hungry and wanting food, so he was concentrated on getting the broth into his hands that he failed to noticed just how much of his long legs were exposed for open viewing.

It wasn't until he was halfway through his soup and Sephiroth had sat beside him to eat for a while that his eyes strayed down after dropping a small bit of soup on his thigh. He blinked and scrutinized the offending bit of broth as it slowly trailed a line down his muscled thigh before slipping away entirely to setting in the blankets. His gaze flicked up to regard Sephiroth, stopping when he found the older man watching him with a strange expression, one he had seen Sephiroth wear a few times before.

Sephiroth had found himself staring as the drop had made a painfully slow track along the blonde's flesh, unable to look away. He wanted to accuse Cloud of doing this on purpose, that the blonde was taunting him to make their stay together more painful on him. He knew that his long built up desire to have and hold the other General was not helping in their current situation either, but he managed to keep himself from moving closer or making a rash action. He managed to pull his eyes away to finish eating, but the image stayed with him, taunting him, tempting him. His gaze strayed back to watch Cloud out of the corner of his eye unintentionally.

Cloud slowly went back to eating the rest of his soup, trying to ignore the small trail of wetness on his thigh, and the fact that Sephiroth was staring at him with...what appeared to be lust. He found himself mildly uncomfortable under Sephiroth's gaze, and he shifted occasionally as he tried to get his spoon to his mouth without spilling, though it became increasingly difficult the more that Sephiroth stared at him. He managed to get the rest of the broth more or less into his mouth, save for one last droplet that slipped down his chin.

"You're doing that on purpose," Sephiroth accused coldly, letting his spoon settle back in his own bowl of broth, nearly glaring at Cloud.

Cloud looked up and hastily reached up to wipe the droplet away, blinking when Sephiroth suddenly seized his wrist and held him back. His gaze shifted to stare at the older man, finding that same look in Sephiroth's eyes, and he found himself intrigued by it. Perhaps the second one had been on purpose, the one droplet that still clung to his chin. He was ashamed to admit that he had perhaps allowed the second as a slip to see what Sephiroth would do, unwittingly playing a game of flirt with the silver-haired man. "I... no, I didn't..."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed even more. Was Strife actually flirting with him? "You're a horrible liar, canary." Without realizing it - or perhaps not caring enough to stop himself - Sephiroth leaned forward, keeping his hold on Cloud's wrist as he leaned in. His gaze locked with the shimmering blue of Cloud's eyes, his tongue flicking out to steal away the offending droplet on the blonde's chin.

It was the first real extremely intimate contact that they had had with each other since Cloud's dream, and even then, this was probably one of the first willing acts of affection between them. For Sephiroth, it was something that he had wanted for almost seventeen years, affection that, in some ways, he felt he had long since coming to him after so many years of pursuit of the blonde warrior. He had always felt a draw to the blonde, but he had not found Cloud receptive enough to his advances to really take the risk of making an outright proposal of the desire. Even when Cloud was mildly receptive, he could tell that the blonde would not have accepted his advances if they were to become anything but subtle hints at possibilities.

For Cloud, on the other hand, he had never been one to really accept affection from anyone but his mother. He had found himself uncomfortable under the touch of even some of his comrades when they wrapped arms around his shoulders and laughed too loudly in his ears. He had pulled himself back from such affection, never really finding that the closeness was something he would want to experience. It was just the way that he was, and he never thought that it would ever change even if Sephiroth pursued for a hundred years...

However, staring at Sephiroth so close, so real, so...affection, he found the bowl in his hands become a heavy weight, which he didn't want to touch such a rough material. He found himself staring into the glowing aqua eyes of the older man, entranced with the manner in which emotion swirled like tendrils of web, reaching out to wrap around him and draw him in. Sephiroth sat so close to him, their knees nearly touching, and Cloud could feel the older man's warm breath washing over his face. His skin of his chin tingled where Sephiroth had licked him, his throat going dry just thinking about the contact on his flesh. His mind had frozen in the moment were they had come into contact with each other, and Cloud just felt something click...

Not many things in any world could surprise Sephiroth, but he found himself shocked beyond words when he felt Cloud's lips suddenly against his own, inexperienced and clumsy yet desperate all the same. He didn't have much time to think as he reacted, the sound of two bowls hitting the wooden floor moments before he was madly kissing the blonde back. His arms seized Cloud's shoulders and pushed the blonde down against the bed, his own body following as he refused to break the sudden passion between them, his hands on the move from Cloud's shoulders to run over the body that he had dreamed about for years. He found Cloud's fumbling and obvious inexperience only more erotic, seizing control as he shifted his weight and pulled away the sheet around Cloud's waist that still taunted him ruthlessly.

Cloud could only feel a torrent of emotion, none of which he had allowed out in the open so explosively at one time, but the moment Sephiroth responded to him, he simply couldn't pull back and reconsider. He had no idea what he was doing, so his hands searched blindly, often times fumbling or not working altogether. He thought that he should be ashamed of his sudden outburst, but he was too consumed by the equally desperate passion from Sephiroth to even give it a second thought at the moment. He was lost in feeling for once, not sure what to do with himself, but aware that he should be doing something, even if it was simple learning.

Sephiroth was mindful of the fact that Cloud had little knowledge of activities between the sheets, and he would have taken his time to instruct the blonde more thoroughly had he not been waiting for seventeen years for this very moment, the moment when Cloud's receptiveness outweighed the possible rejection. His skilled hands run up the blonde's body, really unable to move fast enough to suit the amount of passion that he was bombarded with, simply touching, stroking, feeling every part that he could get his hands on. He wanted everything right now, suddenly impatient with the possibility of a long drawn out foreplay, having waited too long to really allow Cloud time to adjust. He had trouble controlling himself, to even hold back enough where he didn't just flip the blonde over and claim Cloud's body for his own, seizing the ultimate prize of virginity.

Cloud made an attempt to keep up with Sephiroth, but his inexperience left him mostly lying back and shifting against the mattress. He eventually had to break the kiss between them in order to actually breathe, gasping for breath before he found his lips claimed again, his open mouth only seeming to encourage Sephiroth more. He blinked when he felt the older man's tongue slip between his lips and explore his mouth, the taste of Sephiroth sending a thrill of pleasure down his spine. He moaned softly, barely audible in his own ears, but it was clear that Sephiroth had caught it, the older man's hands seizing his naked hips with unbridled desperate passion.

He should have had enough mind to urge Sephiroth to wait and take it slow, but he was of the opinion that he really didn't care too much at this point, that even if he did order the older man to stop, it would take much more than simple words to cease the heat between them. How this sudden explosiveness had happened, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that this felt very good, and he was not about to put up any protest on something he was suddenly more than a little curious about when he found himself enjoying it.

Even with Cloud's fumbling hands, Sephiroth was pleased when the blonde touched back, his muscles shivering under Cloud's sweet hands, touch that he had been deprived of for too long to stop now. He managed to pull his lips away from ravaging the blonde's mouth to kissing the sweet flesh of Cloud's neck and chin, wanting to taste every part of the blonde beneath him. With a groan of building frustration, he pulled his hands away from touching the blonde long enough to pull his own leather pants open, finding the material much too restricting in his current state of arousal. "Nearly seventeen years...damn you, Strife..." he gritted out at the blonde.

Cloud raised his hands and wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's neck, tangling his fingers in the silky silver locks that were softer than he could have ever imaged. "Worth the wait...?" he managed to murmur back at the older man, letting his head settle back against the bed, shifting his weight as Sephiroth seemed intent on exploring his naked legs.

"I would be lying if I said it wasn't..." Sephiroth growled out in between placing small kisses on the blonde's neck, pleased that Cloud remained receptive, meaning the blonde was ready. He pushed himself up so the he was lying over Cloud's body, running a hand down the blonde's side before grasping one of Cloud's long legs and pulling it up to rest against his hip. He shifted his weight against Cloud's upraised leg so that he could repeat the action with the other leg, trapping himself between the sweet appendages. He stopped only long enough to make sure that he wasn't about to push Cloud, a smirk slipping on his lips as the blonde's fingers stroked his back instead of pushing him away. Finally, after years of waiting, Cloud Strife was finally relinquishing to him.

Cloud leaned up to kiss Sephiroth's lips again when a sudden sharp knock on the door sounded, his eyes widening as the older man jerked away and fell off of him to the bed. He hastily grabbed the nearby sheet again, tucking it around his hips as his gaze shifted to regard Sephiroth who appeared to be cursing colourfully into the blanket while struggling to get the leather pants back done up. He skittered back on the bed and looked around desperately, suddenly bewildered at what was going on. "Who..."

Sephiroth was half-mindful to ignore the door and let their passion continue, especially as he found himself having trouble getting his pants done up again. He growled when Cloud covered up again, pushing his face into the blanket as his fingers were finally successful with the buttons of his pants. He lifted his head to shoot an accusing look at Cloud who returned it with a little more confusion. "She's your daughter, Strife!"

Cloud looked towards the door and slid from the bed, stopping when he found his body had reacted without his permission to the just recent passion. Without thinking about it, he trotted to the bathroom, casting one last apologetic look to Sephiroth who was glaring at him. He slipped inside the bathroom and was about to shut the door when Sephiroth's hand slammed against the wood and the older man stopped him. He looked up at Sephiroth in slight surprise. "Seph..."

"Where are you going? You need to deal with her," Sephiroth cut Cloud off instantly, holding the door with one hand. His gaze raked down the muscled body of the blonde and he had to force himself to look away or risk stepping into the bathroom with Cloud. "Deal with her, Strife."

Cloud shook his head. "I...can't. Give me a few seconds." He wasn't certain if Sephiroth was embarrassing him enough to blush yet, but he certainly felt uncomfortable.

Sephiroth glared at Cloud and seized the blonde's nearest wrist, tugging Cloud towards him, which he found was a big mistake on his part. "Why? Deal with her now..." His gaze locked on Cloud's glowing eyes and he felt himself leaning in before he could stop himself, and Cloud not leaning away either. He felt a thrill of their previous passion come back to him instantly as their lips met again, stepping closer to the blonde.

Cloud knew that he should push Sephiroth away, that Aerith was waiting in the rain and the longer they stayed together like this, the harder it would be to separate themselves again. Still, his mind locked on the firm lips pressed against his own and all else just seemed to blank, though he became aware quickly of the wall as his back coming closer until his naked shoulders touched the cool wood. The sound of a door being shut also caught his attention and he looked up questionably at Sephiroth.

His hands went to the older man's chest and pushed back when Sephiroth leaned in to kiss him again, shaking his head. "I'll deal with Aerith then," he said quietly before slipping from range of Sephiroth, opening the door again. It was unsafe for them both to be together like this, and he was probably more aware of that fact than Sephiroth was. "I don't want her to catch a cold out there."

"I'm trying to decide if you are just being a tease or not," Sephiroth shot back as he stepped up to Cloud's back, trailing his fingertips down the smooth skin. "You've been leading me on all morning..."

Cloud looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth then away again. He felt bad for possibly leading the older man on, but there was really nothing he could do about it at the moment since Aerith was still knocking at the door. "Sorry," he muttered and he arranged the sheet more comfortably around his waist as he walked towards the door, gaze fixed on it. He could feel Sephiroth's eyes on him and a shiver went down his back at the thought of what he had nearly done with the older man.

He wordless pulled open the door and looked out, seeing a lot of rain but no Aerith. "Aerith?" he called and peered outside, looking outside before a flash of movement caught his eye and he looked down. He blinked as he found himself staring at Hades' minions, Pain and Panic huddled together staring up at him like he was their last hope for any sort of salvation from the rain. "Pain, Panic, how did you get here?"

Panic instantly raced in the cabin after being addressed, latching on tightly to the blonde's nearest leg. It noted that Pain quickly took residence clinging to Cloud's other leg as best at the fat demon could. Before long, Panic was crying hysterically against Cloud's leg and giving full horrifying details about how they had escaped the wrath of the gods and came to find their only friend. "It's was horrible! You weren't there and I got lonely and Pain fell down and couldn't get up!"

Cloud allowed both demons to cling to his naked legs and was slightly sickened when the sheet covering his waist and legs was used as a tissue for nose-blowing. If he hadn't been naked underneath, he would have just given both little demons to the sheet for whatever use they both wanted. Despite the inconvenience of them both being here, he was glad to see them well and...still thinking he was their friend without him having to say anything.

Sephiroth was far less amused by the appearance of Pain and Panic; in fact, he was downright angry that his near successful attempt at bedding the blonde was interrupted by whining crying demons. He stood by the bed and found himself actively glaring at the sobbing pair, wondering if he could just shove them back outside and forget they ever appeared here. Oh, how he felt the sudden need to hurt or kill something for this. He had been THAT close and those two just had to show up and ruin it all for him and Cloud. "Is there any particular reason you two are here? Cloud shouldn't be standing in an open doorway in his condition, so if you don't have anything important, leave!" He couldn't keep the venom from his voice and glared back when Cloud set a cold expression on him.

Panic managed to control its crying but continued to latch onto Cloud's leg, even when the blonde moved back a few steps to shut the door again. "Can we stay with you, Cloud? You're our bestest friend in the world!"

Cloud smiled down at the two and nodded his head, "Sure, you can stay."

"No they can't," Sephiroth instantly replied, stalking over to Cloud and more specifically to scare the two demons from Cloud's legs.

Cloud looked at Sephiroth and glared a bit. "Yes, they can stay."

"No," Sephiroth shot back.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes or you sleep in the bathroom," Cloud growled out and watched as Sephiroth's expression changed to one of slight shock. He had never actually threatened Sephiroth with anything like that, and he knew without a doubt that the older man would back down, mostly because Sephiroth was probably thinking of ways to rekindle their previous mood.

"You have really nice legs," Pain called up from standing on Cloud's foot and holding onto the blonde's leg. Without a further word, Pain licked Cloud's leg and looked over at Panic, ignoring the horrified look Cloud had and the possessive one Sephiroth had. "Tastes like Hera's..."

"Those are my legs," Sephiroth growled out and wrapped a protective arm around Cloud's waist, pulling the blonde away from the two demons and closer to his body. His single white wing rose and also wrapped around the blonde's shoulders, glaring down at the two demons who seemed completely oblivious to anything that he and Cloud could have been doing. "Fine, you two can stay, but that is your corner," he said sternly and pointed to the corner furthest from the bed that was still in the room.

Panic threw its arms up in the air joyously. "Oh boy, a corner! We've never had our own corner before!"

Pain sniffled and cried again, latching onto Sephiroth who made a valiant effort to kick it away, but Pain managed to get a good hold. "You're so nice too. Will you be our friend too?"

Sephiroth felt his eyebrow twitch at just how pathetic these two demons were. One was dancing around in the darkest corner that he had assigned to them and the other was clinging desperately onto his leg despite being overweight. "No, I refuse..." he was cut off when Cloud elbowed him in the gut and gave him a warning look.

"Please be our friend!" Pain sobbed and nestled its face into Sephiroth's pant leg.

Cloud looked back at Sephiroth who still had a protective hold on him, finding it comforting to know that even in his weaker state that the older man sought to keep him safe. He lifted his normal hand and grasped Sephiroth's wrist gently as he leaned back more against the older man's weight, smiling when Sephiroth moved forward a bit to meet him equally. He looked down when Sephiroth's other arm came around his waist and noted that Sephiroth was trying to ignore Pain altogether.

Sephiroth decided to change tactics entirely now that he had Cloud back in his grasp, his glowing eyes moving to regard the little fat maroon demon at his leg. "Cloud needs to rest now, meaning he's going to spend the rest of the night in my arms..."

"Can we sleep in your arms too?" Panic chimed from the corner that they were given, running back to latch onto Sephiroth's free leg. "Please!"

"What? No," Sephiroth growled out, shaking his head when the two demons insisted on clinging to him. "You two can sleep in the corner."

Pain sniffled and looked up the long distance to seeing Sephiroth's face. "But we want to feel loved too!"

Sephiroth looked at Cloud who was watching in mild amusement and not about to help him out of this situation then down to Pain then Panic. He couldn't help the annoyance that he felt for this pair invading his privacy with Cloud. "Here is how it is going to be. Cloud sleeps in my arms and no one else, and you two can sleep in each other's arms. By that reasoning, everyone feels the love. Problems?"

Panic cheered and hopped into Pain's arm, snuggling up to the other demon happily. "Yay, we're loved too!"

Sephiroth drew Cloud closer to his body and pointed rather adamantly towards the corner he had assigned the two new house mates that had shown up. "Get in your corner right now," he ordered sternly, nudging Pain, who was still holding Panic, with his foot to encourage movement away from him and Cloud. "And never touch me again," he added sternly.

Then he stopped all movement at a sound at was emitted from Cloud, his glowing eyes moving to regard the blonde in his arms. He cocked his head to the side, though he noted that Pain and Panic were also staring, and peered around Cloud's golden bangs into the blonde's face. Was Cloud...laughing? He had honestly never heard Cloud laugh in such a manner, so alive, so light, so beautiful. Certainly Sephiroth had heard Cloud laugh in guards, but it was a forced one that was suited to please the reactions of others and never really a complete true laugh. However, the musical laughter that came from Cloud at this moment was something that was true in all forms. Cloud was actually laughing.

Cloud managed to calm his laughter when all of the hilarious interplay between Sephiroth, Pain, and Panic ceased, having truly enjoyed seeing all three deal with one another. He smiled warmly at all three and slipped from Sephiroth's grasp to walk over to the bed, seating himself as he brushed his braided hair over his shoulder again, sighing heavily. Even with all the excitement, he still needed to rest himself for some periods of time.

Sephiroth watched Cloud silently and nodded his head at Pain and Panic to keep quiet and allow the blonde to rest again. Reluctantly, he left the room to one of the large cellars and pulled down a rather old blanket and returned back to the main room, laying the folded blanket in the corner that Pain and Panic had taken up residence in. When both demons looked to threaten to both cry and hug him, he offered only a warning glare which ended those thoughts. When both had laid down, he started to walk back to the bed before stopping when called to.

"Is...this our blanket now?" Pain asked while jumping up and down on the recently acquired blanket.

"Yes, you two can have it as long as you are quiet," Sephiroth replied before walking away to the bed, stopping when his legs touched the mattress. Silently, he reached a hand out and stroked his knuckles down the side of Cloud's face affectionately.

Cloud smiled at Sephiroth and pulled himself fully into bed, easing his tired body down under the covers before he pulled off the sheet that he wore and tossed it more against the far wall. He curled up on his side and watched Sephiroth slip into bed with him, finding himself gravitating more over to the older man for warmth and affection. He lay against Sephiroth's side and rested his cheek on the older man's chest, shivering when the feathers from Sephiroth's wing began to stroke his sides and back.

"Get some sleep, canary," Sephiroth whispered softly and brushed some hair from Cloud's face.

Though he was disappointed with the stop in their previous affection to one another, he couldn't hold it against Cloud or the two demons. The fact that he had heard Cloud laughing was enough for him at the moment, and he reasoned that such an explosive sexual encounter between them could have done more harm than good. As much as he made him cranky and frustrated to admit, he would not pursue for anymore tonight, not with Cloud looking so tired. At least he knew that Cloud was receptive to his advances, meaning that he could attempt a more traditional courting of the blonde warrior.

Cloud lay quietly against Sephiroth and allowed his eyes to drift closed, feeling warmer than usual despite being away from leeching Sephiroth's body heat the last while. He normally couldn't sit for more than five or ten minutes before the cold of the darkness made itself known to him again, but there had been nothing until things had settled down and he lay against the older man. Even then, he still felt warm with the heat from Sephiroth against him. It was so comfortable with Sephiroth's hand and wing stroking his skin, so much so that he needed very little urging to actually fall asleep.

However, he was brought back at the sound of Pain and Panic settled in noisily across the room and lifted his head to make sure the two demons were alright. He smiled when they both began to sleep noisily and looked up at Sephiroth who was getting the displeased look again. He leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on Sephiroth's lips before pulling back and settling in for a nice long nap.

Sephiroth gave no outward acknowledgement of the affection Cloud had just placed on him and instead just waited for the blonde warrior to sleep. He really didn't have to wait long before Cloud relaxed completely against him, and he allowed a fond smile to spread over his lips as his mind played over the small kiss he was just given. He usually struggled to get any sort of affection from the younger man, but watching Cloud sleep curled against, he thought that perhaps his luck had changed.

He lifted a hand and ran his fingers through Cloud's soft spikes, forever amused by their lack of control, which was generally opposite for Cloud. He stared at the ceiling and listened to the various noises of the house and outside before he too was lulled into sleep with Cloud lying against him comfortably and two demons in a corner of the cabin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The sea was beautiful. The deep endless blue stretched for as long as the eye could see, long lazy waves shifting and churning the secrets that were contained in the wondrous waters. The only thing that made the sparkling abyss of the sea more beautiful was when the sun's rays danced over the cool blue surface and caused the water to arch and sway with colours of red, orange, yellow and white.

He wasn't sure how long he had been watching the constant movement of the waters, but it calmed him to just sit and bask in the sight of the sea. It was forever changing and felt no regard for anything, just simply existed in the massive expanse that it took up. The sea was wonderful to him, soothing and gentle. It reminded him of his mother who loved the sea more than anything and had taken him down to it as soon as he was old enough. He saw his mother in the sea, so he loved to watch it for long periods of time, simply reminded of the family that he had lost so long ago.

Cloud wasn't even considered when a shadow settled over his seated form, never removing his eyes from the churning waters as Sephiroth slipped down behind him. He watched the older man's legs slip on either side of his body out of the corner of his eye and slowly leaned himself back against Sephiroth's weight. He smiled when strong arms wrapped around his waist. "Did you find them," he asked softly.

Sephiroth looked out at the same expanse of water that Cloud seemed completely absorbed in and slowly nodded his head. "Yes, both stupid demons were chasing one another around in the forest," he said casually, noting that the blanket he had placed on Cloud's naked shoulders was now being used at a cushion. "I thought we agreed that you would keep the blanket on," he said sternly.

Cloud smiled slightly and finally looked over his bandaged shoulder at Sephiroth, noting the displeased look he was getting. It had been a week since Pain and Panic had shown up in the rain, and he had managed to convince both of the little demons to plead his case to Sephiroth along with himself. He had finally convinced Sephiroth to allow him outside, but under harsh rules that he really didn't feel were necessary anymore. He was feeling very good lately.

The darkness had receded from his body, no lines on his legs or his stomach and chest, though some remained on his back. His demonic hand was healing nicely and looked more like a thin human hand with dark skin that was fading day by day as well, though he had lost all of his finger nails and was currently regrowing them all. Even his shoulder was in good condition, the wound now in a state of bleeding actual blood when urged to, and he no longer threw-up every morning which was a nice treat.

Sephiroth noted Cloud's silence and sighed heavily, wrapping an arm around Cloud's waist, and he lifted the blonde up and pulled the blanket free before setting Cloud down again. He unfolded it and wrapped the warm material around Cloud's shoulders, feeling much safer knowing that Cloud was not about to get cold from the wind. He was pleased that the blonde was able to maintain a more constant body temperature, but he still worried about having Cloud outside and so close to the cool winds of the sea. Plus, the sun was already beginning to set.

"Sephiroth," Cloud inquired softly, leaning himself back against Sephiroth's weight again.

"Yes, canary," Sephiroth replied and wrapped his arms around Cloud's shoulders, holding the blonde close. Perhaps allowing Cloud outside wasn't so bad.

Cloud remained silent for a few moments before closing his eyes, allowing the image of the sea to run through his mind as a smile tugged at his lips. It felt so good to be outside again. "I was thinking that we could return to the castle soon, maybe in a few days if I keep getting better. The darkness is fading fast," he said and held up his demonic hand to show just how much progress was being made. Sephiroth was a hard man to convince sometimes.

Sephiroth kept his opinion of allowing Cloud back to the castle mostly to himself, mostly because his reasons were mostly selfish. His gaze flicked to Cloud's upraised hand, and he nodded at it, noting the day-by-day quick progress that Cloud seemed to be making. It had been because of that day where he and Cloud nearly slipped between the sheets together and the arrival of Panic and Pain that Cloud seemed to get well again. Though, he and Cloud had not shared anymore moments in such a manner, the blonde had opened up to him more and willingly searched out odd tender moments of simple affection.

He had lost count the number of times that Cloud had come about to kiss him softly when he had thought it best to keep his reservation and not push Cloud. Now, he didn't hold back as much as he would have, taking to kissing the blonde when opportunity presented itself. Yet, sometimes simple moments that they had at this time spoke volumes of where their relationship had taken a turn towards. Cloud openly trusted him instead of always keeping it a mystery.

"Sephiroth?"

"Hmm?" Sephiroth had not realized that he had remained silent for so long, his gaze leaving the beautiful horizon to look down at the blonde leaning against him. "We will see how things go, canary," he finally replied, not making any commitments to allow Cloud back to the castle so soon. He promised the planet and Elecia that Cloud would be well again before he returned to that castle with Cloud.

Cloud looked back at Sephiroth briefly before looking out over the sea once more. "I was thinking that if we were thinking of heading back, I could send Pain and Panic to inform everyone." He tried to make it sound completely casual, which wasn't too difficult given that he wasn't looking at Sephiroth at the moment.

Sephiroth nodded his head at the thought, thinking that it would be a smart move to inform the others when they would return. He would also be pleased to be rid of Pain and Panic for at least a day, not that he disliked the two but more because they seemed to latch onto him more and more. His general acts of being disgruntled were often rewarded and had the opposite effect that he had intended. He really couldn't get mad at the little demons since they both looked after Cloud when he went out for brief moments and the blonde seemed to generally like Pain and Panic's wild antics of stupidity and simplicity. He didn't so much mind it either, since it entertained him in those boring hours of Cloud's naps.

After a moment of once more being lost in thought, he finally just nodded his head at the idea of sending Pain and Panic to the castle to inform whomever was running things that they would return. "I suppose that would be a good idea, but we should make sure that you are well enough to return before doing so."

Cloud slowly nodded his head, aware that Sephiroth was currently in 'general caregiver' mode. The affection he finally allowed himself had grown into a comfortable state. He had finally admitted to himself over the last week that there was more than just a generalized liking for Sephiroth, and their time together was something he more than enjoyed. "We would be alone," he suddenly said in the bit of silence between them.

Sephiroth looked sharply down at Cloud in his arms and subconsciously tightened his hold on the younger man. Yes, they would most certainly be alone together and with no worry of interruptions. But...was Cloud indicating secretly what thought he was thinking about? The blonde was easier to read now, but even that was not so obvious. "Indeed, we would be. It would be nice to have some time purely to ourselves, don't you think?"

Cloud nodded his head a bit quickly, playing with the belt buckle of his pants in order to keep his mind from wandering off too far. His eyes drifted shut when he felt Sephiroth's warm breath on the back of his neck, soothing and inviting to him and the arms around his waist shifted so that Sephiroth's hands run up his sides. It was clear that the older man was testing his receptiveness, mostly likely attempting to figure out his cryptic words from before. He looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth, their gazes meeting moments before their lips did.

Sephiroth found the moment their lips met to be a sort of victory, though he knew that he had won over a week ago. He kissed the blonde passionately, allowing a hand to come up and cup the side of Cloud's face to maintain the contact between them as his eyes drifted close. He didn't keep the intimate embrace long as he could hear the high-pitched giggling of the two demons approaching their location, and he smiled when Cloud nearly followed him in stubborn refusal to let him go as the broke their kiss.

Cloud sighed heavily and went back to looking out over the sea, pulling his knees up so that he could embrace them with his arms and rest his cheek against his knees. He moaned softly when Sephiroth's hand began a slow massage of his back, the contact causing his muscles to relax as he listened to the fun of Pain and Panic approaching them. This moment was wonderful, and he would remember it always.

He looked back when he felt the presence of Panic and Pain skipping up to them, never having seen the two demons so happy in all the time he had been in the Underworld. Perhaps because he accepted their presence and Sephiroth tolerated it that the two had finally found a place they could accept. He smiled over at them, noting that Sephiroth did not stop the back massage, which was rare since the older man was careful about open displays of physical affection. "Hey, you two," he called the two demons who were grinning madly, "what were you up to?" He almost felt like a parent talking to a child.

Pain waddled up and latched onto Sephiroth's arm, completely ignoring the glare it received for the action. If it didn't see the glare, it didn't happen. "We were eating squirrels and catching frogs!"

Sephiroth snorted skeptically. "I doubt that. You can't move fast enough..." He received a hurt look from Pain, who simply clung closer to him. He had forgotten that insulting only made Pain worse to deal with. "Let me guess, you directed Panic where they were since your eyesight is better than his?" he added smoothly, never missing a beat. He didn't know what gender the demons were either...

Panic sat on Cloud's feet and looked up at the two men with a healthy grin of satisfaction. "Yup! We ate really well today! Aren't you proud of us?"

"Always," Cloud replied with a small smile and looked between the two demons with purpose. "I have a job for you two, if you want to help me out." Both demons perked and looked enthusiastically at him, Pain managing to somehow clamber into Sephiroth's lap much to the older man's frustration. "Sephiroth and I have agreed that we will be heading back to the palace soon, but we don't want to simply show up there. I was wondering if you two would like to make a trip to the palace and inform Aerith, Squall, Yuffie and Cid of our possible arrival within the next week. Would you two do that for me?"

Sephiroth had never seen two supposedly evil creatures look so happy in all of his life. It nearly made him feel mildly ill when he was hugged desperately, but he managed to accept it with only a sigh of long-suffering. Obviously, these two weren't given very many jobs since he and Cloud had worked for Hades. "You two should stay at the palace and explore there as well. It has many good hiding spots and interesting rooms to investigate." It seemed to him that Pain and Panic did like to explore way too much, and he hoped to convince more than a night from them for an absence.

Panic looked completely overjoyed and danced around with Pain who had fallen from Sephiroth's lap. It was not the first job they had ever gotten, but these were their friends. They would do the best job for Cloud and Sephiroth, and they wouldn't fail. "You got it, boss! We'll do it!"

"Oh yeah, like right now!" Pain chimed and grabbed Panic's arm. It was so exciting to have a job to do again. They weren't given important jobs since the whole Hercules as a baby incident, but this was of top importance it would seem. Plus, they got to explore the palace for as long as they wanted. "We won't fail you guys! Nope, we will do the bestest job in the world!"

Cloud chuckled softly at the reaction and gave further instructions to make the mission more detailed, mostly how Pain and Panic could get to the castle and where Aerith would be found. Though he was certain that complex details of the hallways would be lost, he knew that the two demons would make it to his adoptive daughter eventually. He informed them of where to stay away from and the best places to explore as well, noting that the two were growing more and more excited the longer he spoke for, since neither could stand still anymore. Obviously, Hades hadn't given them a large amount of free time simply for explorations.

"Did you two get all that?" Sephiroth inquired when Cloud had fallen silent, and the absent-minded nods from Pain and Panic indicated that enough information had been taken in to at least make the mission possible. He didn't mind since the longer they were away the longer he had with Cloud alone. It amused him that the two little demons were practically itching to run through the woods and succeed, their enthusiasm quite entertaining.

Cloud smiled and looked over at Sephiroth who seemed more than taken with the idea of being alone again. "Thank you both," he said and those words only seemed to make the adventure more exciting, and he didn't bother to add anything to his words as both Pain and Panic ran off with happy hoots and hollars at each other. He watched them go with much amusement, hoping that they would be alright in the palace. He knew that Aerith would take care of them and keep them as much out of trouble as he could.

He looked at Sephiroth when the older man shifted closer to him, their gazes meeting. He felt Sephiroth's arms slid around his waist and didn't resist when he was pulled into the older man's lap, leaning in against Sephiroth's weight. His eyes fluttered close at the wonderful feel of the warm breeze from the sea washing over him, the warmth from Sephiroth as well as the blanket wrapped around him comforting. Despite the sun setting quickly, he was warm.

"We should head back, canary," Sephiroth said after awhile, not wanting to disturb the peaceful moment, but it was getting late. It would be more difficult to navigate back to the cabin in the dark. "We should eat some dinner as well," he added for good measure, seeing as Cloud was much more receptive to eating now adays.

Cloud slowly nodded and pulled himself up, stretching his muscles before he cast one last look at the fading light that reflected from the sea. He sighed and allowed Sephiroth to lead him back to the cabin, not really complaining since he was starting to get a little hungry, and he was more inclined for closer contact this evening. It had been a nice day being outside, but he was now ready to go back indoors for the evening. He was also glad they headed back when they did, the fading light making it difficult to see.

Sephiroth occationally glanced back to make sure that Cloud was alright without his help and eventually fell back in walking beside the blonde. He slipped an arm around Cloud's waist and kept the other man closer to him as they arrived at the cabin, slipping inside easily and pulling Cloud with him. He slipped out of his leather coat and layed it on a nearby chair, but his attention quickly refocused on Cloud folding up the blanket near the bed.

Cloud didn't need to turn around to know that Sephiroth was there, and the thought of dinner completely left him when strong arms slipped around his waist. He leaned back against Sephiroth's weight momentarily before pulling himself back a few steps, turning slowly to regard the older man. His gaze followed Sephiroth's movements and he didn't respond negatively when his pants were removed along with Sephiroth's, always finding it more comfortable out of pants when ill anyway. He leaned his head against Sephiroth's shoulder when the older man came into his range and sighed contently.

"Canary...?" Sephiroth inquired softly, his hands running up Cloud's naked back, holding the blonde to him. These were the moments that dreams were made of.

Cloud slipped his arms around Sephiroth's midsection and sighed softly. "I think I'm falling in love with you..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Yeah, this update took me for freaking ever. I know. There is a reason that it did, though quite inexcuseable anyway. Yeah, the disk I kept this on so that I could update it in my freetime at school corrupted with tons of updates on it and I attempted to get what I could of the updates onto my computer... It deleted the file on my computer so I had nothing. I rewrote this chapter from a halfway point.

Only one chapter left and this fic is done! Yay! I'm thinking of writing another Kingdom Hearts on or Final Fantasy VII. I don't know yet. I will write again! 


	17. End of Darkness

Darkness Rising By Chibi Nataku 

Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)

AUTHOR'S WARNING: This fic has been bumped up to a yaoi pairing between Sephiroth and Cloud. You have been warned so proceed at your own risk.

Chapter 16 - End of Darkness

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The late morning sun poured through the partially covered window, warm rays dancing over the mussed blankets of the bed as well as the two bodies curled together. The light was mindless as it moved back and forth with the gently moving drapes, but its tendrils slipped over tanned naked skin, alighting features and body contours. It was only stopped from playing over the faces of the two sleeping men by a single white wing, allowing both to continue sleeping on in the blissful silence of morning, their only companion the sunlight and shifting drapes.

Cloud lay quietly tucked against his lover, his strong body pressed up tightly against Sephiroth's as they both slept. His long golden silver hair had come undone during the night from its braid and cascaded down his back and mingled with the pure silver hair of Sephiroth. He was bathed in warmth as his head was tucked under Sephiroth's chin and his face pleasantly nestled up against the older man's neck, the warm constant pulse of his lover keeping him lulled in sleep.

However, he slowly awakened after several more minutes of blissful quiet, his legs managing to untangle themselves from being wrapped with Sephiroth's, and he stretched them out. His shoulder twitched as silky feathers brushed against his skin, the protection from the sun tickling him back into wakefulness. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked passed the last tendrils of sleep, yawning as he shifted back a bit from being so tightly tucked against Sephiroth, who was surprisingly still asleep. He scratched the back of his head and flipped onto his back, allowing his body to wake up again.

He lifted a hand and ran his fingers over the wing that still covered his and Sephiroth's face and blocked out the sun from bothering them. He smiled when the wing twitched under his touch and pulled back a bit, the first soft murmurings of the planet slipping into his mind and rooting where he could only faintly hear the whispers. The small calls of the planet nearly put him back asleep, but he managed to resist by rubbing his eyes and yawning again, forcing himself to wake up and possibly torment his still sleeping lover into the world of the wakeful with him.

He was nearly disappointed when Sephiroth woke up without his help, but merely smiled at the older man when their gazes met. He blinked when light shone on his face as Sephiroth pulled the white wing back and stretched the appendage, both of them having to cover their eyes from the onslaught of sunlight. He flipped onto his side again and pulled the covers over his head, stubbornly refusing to get up to fix the problem and merely went about ignoring it as best he could instead. He didn't have to wait long before he was joined under the blanket by Sephiroth who also seemed intent on ignoring the open drapes rather than thinking of the option of getting up - or more precisely rolling over - to cover the window.

Sephiroth tucked his wing against his shoulder, the appendage stiff from being extended all night, and he merely remained under the blanket with Cloud. It was rather childish to refuse to get up and close the drapes, but he was much more content to simply stay at Cloud's side for the moment, especially considering he just woken up. He reached an arm out and pulled Cloud's body up against his own almost protectively, feeling the need to keep the younger man close now that they were lovers.

Cloud shifted over and slipped up against Sephiroth's body again, leaning up to place a small affectionate kiss on Sephiroth's lips. He sighed contently and ran his finger tips down the older man's chest, unable to deny how much better he was feeling, most noticeable by the fact that planet was a strong presence in his mind. While his muscles were a bit stiff, he was feeling quite normal again rather than being plagued by droozyness and the taint from the darkness. It was a nice feeling that he allowed himself to enjoy for once.

Sephiroth ran his fingers over Cloud's back, both to comfort the younger man and to feel for the patches of darkness that still remained on his new lover. Things were proceeding well and the heat from Cloud's skin was evident, only a one notable patch left on Cloud's lower back. Of course, the blonde's left hand was still cool, but even now, he could watch the darkness fading and allowing a normal hand to be there. The progress to remove all the darkness only made the previous night all the better in his own mind.

Cloud looked up at Sephiroth and the silence between them was another of the companionable ones. He pulled himself back a bit so that he wasn't having to crane his neck too much, instead pushing himself up to lean on one elbow. The blanket was making things stuffy, so he pushed it back and winced at the bombardment of light from the window. He glanced over at it and smiled at just how beautiful the morning was, a new day that did not hold the Heartless as previous days had.

"We should go outside today," he said absently, tilting his head a bit when Sephiroth sat up and kissed his neck playfully. His eyes continued to stare out the window, and he would love to watch the sea again today. "We should spar too," he added.

Sephiroth bent to kiss Cloud's neck again, but stopped at the mention of sparring. That was an exercise he had not done in a long time. His last sparring partner at the castle had been Cloud, and he was certain that he had ended up the loser of that mock battle too. "Spar? I'm not sure if you are in good enough condition to be wielding that sword of yours," he finally replied and kissed Cloud's shoulder instead of the blonde's neck.

Cloud looked at Sephiroth and merely quirked an eyebrow. "My condition is fine," he replied then added, "besides, you might actually be able to beat me in a fight if I'm not at full strength." He grinned to show his joke, but he could only gasp when he was pounced and wrestled to the bed, laughing softly when he was finally pinned down. "See, you might be able to win."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and simply lay down over the younger man's body, tangling his fingers in Cloud's hair with a soft sigh. "I just didn't win back then because I had lost my mind," he replied, matter-of-factly.

"What's changed from then to now?" Cloud asked in complete seriousness, but Sephiroth's mock glare had him chuckling. He lifted his arms and slung them lazily over the older man's waist, simply relaxing under Sephiroth's weight. "I would like to spar though. I haven't really had any exercise in awhile."

Sephiroth merely made an affirmative noise but said little else since today was probably the first day that he wanted to just stay indoors and not move at all, from the bed at least. The thought of sparring was a nice one though, and he knew that just lying around all day would cramp his muscles, a feeling he could do without. Besides, today looked warmer than the day before, and he supposed that Cloud's improved condition did require a bit more activity since he knew that returning to the castle would have them both back under heavy duties to make things go back to working order. Both former Generals would be needed for that job.

Cloud allowed his eyes to close even as he ran his fingers along the silky feathers of Sephiroth's wing, but in the mood to care for anything other than the current moment that he was willingly trapped in. He smiled sleepily at Sephiroth's wing shifting towards his touch, and he sighed contently when the older man's head lay on his shoulder, turning his face to nuzzle Sephiroth's neck.

"If you keep that up, I won't bother to put in the required thought on if I will let you out of the house to spar with me because we won't be sparring today," Sephiroth murmured after a few moments of reveling in the tender affection from his lover. He opened open eye to regard Cloud smiling at him and simply smirked. "Unless you want to lie around in bed all day."

Cloud chuckled softly and lay comfortably under the warmth of his own body heat, Sephiroth's weight and the warm sunbeams drifting in the window. "As much as lazing around all day sounds nice, I would like to see if I still have any skill left after lying around for the last while."

Sephiroth nodded slowly, admitting a slight bit of disappointment. Still, as much as he too would like to lie around, getting up and being generally productive always had its benefits as well. Besides, he did want to get out of this cabin again, and he refused to allow Cloud remain alone even if the blonde was feeling better. As far as he was concerned, it was up to him to decide when Cloud was well enough again... and maybe the planet.

Cloud closed his eyes and dozed again for a few minutes before the feeling of fingers stroking his back woke him, and he once again considered just lying around doing nothing at all. No, he really needed to get up and stretch his muscles. He opened his eyes again to regard Sephiroth watching him and smiled a little dreamily, and he nearly fell asleep again. Luckily, the planet nudged his mind awake and ordered him up and about - the first actual contact with the Lifestream had given him.

He pushed himself up to sitting up and stretched out his arms, smiling a little at the satisfactory pops his joints made before he made the attempt actually get to his feet. He crawled over Sephiroth and would have been just fine had his lover not smacked his bottom playfully, which caused him to fall right off the side of the bed to the floor. He could hear Sephiroth half-snickering and faking some sort of worry for his health, especially given he was in a rather precarious position with his legs still on the bed and his shoulders on the floor.

Sephiroth leaned over the side of the bed to make sure that Cloud wasn't injured - aside from pride of course. He noted that the blonde was not terribly amused, so he reached down and hauled Cloud back up onto the bed, sitting his lover on his lap. Again, Cloud still did not look amused with his smack that had caused a slight wound to the blonde's pride. "You look like such a child pouting like that, Cloud."

Cloud stiffened at the jab and glared at Sephiroth. "I was trying to get up," he said in response, shooting Sephiroth another accusing glare.

"Indeed, but you appeared to fall over instead," Sephiroth point out with a big smirk on his face.

"Only because you helped me fall," Cloud remarked dryly and brushed long silvery gold hair back over his naked shoulders. He managed one more small glare at Sephiroth before he slid from the older man's lap and set his feet on the floor, rising up to his full height. He yawned and stretched again, taking the time to shake out the considerable amount of hair that he still carried.

Sephiroth shook his head as Cloud's stubbornness seemed to be in full force this morning, but he did take the time to admire the view of Cloud's nudeness. He reached out with a hand and stroked the back of Cloud's buttocks and thighs affectionately, smirking a little at the younger man's small moan. "Are you so sure..."

"I'm sure," Cloud said, cutting off what Sephiroth had to say. If he returned to the bed, he would probably not be able to stumble out of it for awhile. He really did wish to spar, even as the new giddiness of being in a relationship for the first time in his life hung heavy around him. He smiled warmly and walked away from the bed and from Sephiroth, moving over to the only dresser in the cabin.

He rooted through the wooden cabinet for something appropriate to wear outside and found some pants that looked like they may fit him without his wings out. He smiled at his traditional navy pants and slipped them up his body, doing up the button and turning around in them. It had been a very long time since he had worn anything so constricting - at least when compared to a sheet.

Sephiroth admired Cloud from a distance for some time before he also managed to drag himself from the bed. He quickly stretched and walked over to where Cloud was standing, wrapping his arms around his lover's waist before Cloud could go back in the dresser for more clothing. He rested his chin on the younger man's shoulder and ran his hands over the waistband of Cloud's pants, making a small unimpressed noise from his throat. "I prefer the sheet," he commented.

Cloud smiled and turned his head so that he could watch Sephiroth, quirking an eyebrow. "You just like it better because you don't have to take the time to think when removing it," he joked, and smirked at the slightly startled look that Sephiroth gave him in return.

Him and joking never really went along too well, but... things were going so well and his mood was just that good. Plus, he was only just beginning to learn about sexual banter, and he felt the need to figure it out by using it on Sephiroth more often. He was certain that Sephiroth enjoyed it despite the odd looks he received, and he was pleased that he could still catch the older man off-kilter sometimes. Breaking that stony expression sometimes took work, especially if Sephiroth was in an off mood, but it appeared that vaguely sexual comments did the trick most of the time.

Sephiroth eventually settled for shaking his head and stepped around Cloud to the dresser, shifting around clothing contained within until he found a pair of pants to suit him for the day. He slipped into them and waited for a slap to his exposed backside, but Cloud didn't take the bait; he still had plenty of work to do on his new lover as Cloud was still quite clueless at the best of times. Standing up again, he turned to face the younger man, finding Cloud off mindlessly braiding that mass of silky hair. "You're wearing a shirt, correct?"

Cloud looked over to the window and ducked a bit to get a better look at the weather before looking back at Sephiroth. He casually shrugged even as his fingers worked through his hair. "It looks nice enough where I won't need one," he finally replied, nodding his head towards the window.

Sephiroth glanced at the window then back at Cloud, not entirely convinced. "Wear one and if it gets too hot, then you can take it off again."

"Yes mother," Cloud remarked dryly, giving Sephiroth a look that spoke just how much the older man's insistent nagging sometimes got on his nerves. Sephiroth got after him about everything lately, since he had been sick anyway. "I'll take one, but I'm not wearing it unless I'm cold."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed a bit. "You're wearing it."

"No, I'm not," Cloud replied, aware that this was moving right along to bickering.

"Yes," Sephiroth shot back.

"No."

"Yes."

"No..."

"Yes," Sephiroth said and reached out to grab Cloud and wrestle his lover into submission like he had always been able to do.

Cloud dodged under Sephiroth's arm and batted it away, glaring at the older man. When Sephiroth took another grab for him, he twisted around the reaching hand and seized Sephiroth's wrist in return. "No means no," he said.

"Your mother said that once..."

"..." Cloud blinked and found himself struck speechless. He attempted to grasp the context in which his mother might say such a thing to Sephiroth, and when the older man smirked at him knowingly, he winced. "Oh, that's gross... you're not allowed to reference that!"

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders as innocently as possible, though he really didn't mean it. That was probably the first time he managed to get that kind of reaction from Cloud, and he admitted it was amusing. "Oh, but Cloud, I could tell you all sorts of things about your mother. We carried on for over a year together, so I know all sorts of..."

"No! Just no!" Cloud turned away and walked in the opposite direction. He almost forced himself to forget that Sephiroth had been in a relationship with his mother, and even sometimes denied the age gap between them. Technically, Sephiroth was about thirty-five years older than himself, but looking only twenty-five, it was easy to forget.

He cast a glance over his shoulder at Sephiroth and glared at the smirk that returned to his lover's lips. "No, I don't want to know anything about that. The fact that my parents were together is bad enough to think about, but you... uh, we're lovers so no talk about my mother in that way."

Sephiroth chuckled softly and walked over to Cloud, resting his arms across the back of the younger man's shoulders, nestling his face into Cloud's hair. "She was a special woman, one with a little too much fire in her belly. She had a wonderful smile."

"I... never saw it often," Cloud replied softly. It was only then that he realized that his mother had been a subject that he and Sephiroth had stayed away from as if it were taboo. His mother was their link, really. "I remember her staring out the window overlooking the sea, and she would knit. She had a distant look to her eyes and would get mad at me if I worked too hard."

Sephiroth slowly nodded his head, thinking for a moment. He remembered the chair by the window, but Elecia had not used it often, though he heard rumours that she did after Walian's death and the announcement of her child's death. The sadness in Cloud's voice was not difficult to pick up on, and he sighed a bit. "She loved you. After Walian died, you were her life."

Cloud snorted, passing such a thought off more for his own emotional benefit. He lived more under Grakas' hand than that of his mother. "Mother was waiting for you, Sephiroth."

"I saw her at Walian's funeral, the day she said that you were dead. She refused to look at me for the entire ceremony, and only when I managed to corner her did she show what the actual problem was." Sephiroth turned his head so that his temple rested against Cloud's ear, remembering that day so long ago. "She cried on my shoulder when she told me that her only child was dead and that she would never forgive herself. Looking back on it now, I'm certain she never forgave herself for locking you away... she thought she would kill you slowly."

Cloud remained silent, his eyes drifting to the floor. Yes, he could have found all of this out through the planet, but it was pain he still really wished to stay away from. He never went looking for such memories from others, since he was only very small when his father had passed away. It was not a part of his life that he wished to dig around in.

After some time, he finally asked, "Why didn't you ask her to date with you again?"

Sephiroth removed one of his arms from resting against Cloud's shoulder and wrapped it around his lover. "I did, but she refused. Again looking back on it, I believe she was doing what she thought would protect you the most and having me around... could have been dangerous."

"Because no one knew who my father was?" Cloud asked softly, glancing over his shoulder to watch Sephiroth, surprised when the older man flinched only slightly but still flinched.

Sephiroth slowly nodded. "That was the real issue, or at least one that weighed heavily on everyone involved. You know the laws... if I had sired you, your life would have been ended. Neither I nor Walian knew for certain if we had sired you... so your life was kept a secret, more on Walian's part than mine. I would have fought the court laws, but upon the announcement of your death, I didn't see the point. At that time, I believed Elecia, so until you appeared again at fifteen, I thought you were dead."

Subconsciously, Cloud reached out to the planet and confirmed the information for himself. He leaned back into Sephiroth's weight. Even though he wasn't Sephiroth's son, he did think the rule that a bastard could not sire children was a very harsh and unjust one. It was no fault of the child to be made a bastard; the parents were at fault.

Cloud slipped from Sephiroth's grasp, only to have some of his long hair seized. He was drawn back to Sephiroth again, his gaze seeking the older man from over his shoulder, taking note that Sephiroth was smirking a little. "What are you smirking about?" he asked when he finally came to rest against Sephiroth's chest again.

"I just think that you look quite funny in pants again, canary," Sephiroth commented casually as he ran a hand over the waistband of Cloud's navy pants, feeling the material under his fingers. "And I think that we should spar now. Take a shirt with you, but I won't make you wear it unless it gets cold. Agreed?"

Cloud watched Sephiroth wearily and finally nodded his head in agreement. That was probably the best that he was going to get from Sephiroth at this point in time, so he wouldn't fight such lenience. Plus, it was nice to leave the previous topic of conversation for now, wanting to keep things light before sparring.

He walked away from the older man again and managed to pick himself out a tank-top, tossing it over his still bandaged shoulder casually. He walked around the small cabin and remembered that he wasn't sure if he actually had a weapon for sparring, his sword having been left behind at the Coliseum after fighting Sephiroth. He was displeased with such a fact and turned to face Sephiroth again. "I don't have a sword..."

Sephiroth looked up from the shirt he had just pulled over his head, glancing over towards Cloud who was doing the warrior's equivalent of pouting. "Yes, Pain and Panic brought it in when you were sleeping a few days ago. I stored it in the bathroom closet."

Cloud quirked an eyebrow at Sephiroth. "...you stored my sword in a closet in the bathroom? The most important material object I own and you put it in the bathroom?" He gave Sephiroth a displeased look.

"If it makes you feel better, my sword is there too," Sephiroth replied wearily, walking over to where Cloud was standing. He lifted a hand to touched the younger man's golden spikes of hair.

Cloud contemplated for a moment, thinking that Sephiroth's sword being next to his was less scoldable. He finally nodded. "Fine, it does make me feel better," he returned and walked to the bathroom. Sure enough, he did find both his standard issue weapon and Sephiroth's Masamune, pulling both weapons from the closet and returning to Sephiroth's side again. "That's a big closet."

Sephiroth nodded when Cloud returned, smirking a little. "Yes, I had the closet specially built to house my sword. I used this cabin as a place where I could train without being interrupted. Basically, all of my holidays were spent out here in my early days." He walked over and grabbed his sword from Cloud, running a hand down the sheathed blade with a fond smile on his lips.

Cloud nodded his head and slipped around Sephiroth wordlessly, his shoulder brushing against the older man's as he passed by. He walked around the table and over to the door, pulling it open and allowing the cool forest hair to wash over his body, blowing his long silvery gold hair back. He looked over to find Sephiroth already at his side, ready to go out again into the forest, and he stepped outside without hesitation.

The sounds of the forest were lovely to his ears, the sounds of song birds in the trees, small forest creatures moving about listlessly, the wind whistling through the tree branches, and even the far off sound of waves lapping at the rocky shores. It was all just an orchestra of nature, one he found himself drawn into because he was part of it, and even the murmur of the planet was just another soft rhythm to the music around him. The staccato of life was put on hold for this performance, the world just a different instrument playing in the orchestra, another addition to the flowing river of music.

Sephiroth stopped when Cloud did, staring at his lover curiously when Cloud seemed to just become lost in being outside again. They had been outside just two days ago, but this moment seemed to grab hold of Cloud and refuse to let go. He lifted a hand slowly and lay it on Cloud's naked shoulder, giving it a small push as he caused Cloud to take a step, directing his lover in the direction of the open area where he had practiced for years. He wasn't certain of how long Cloud would remain lost, but it was nice to see his lover relax outside of their bed.

Cloud opened his eyes when the sunlight hit his eyelids, squinting momentarily as he gathered himself and looked over to Sephiroth who was leaving his side. Glancing around, he found himself standing at the edge of a sizeable open field, this obviously the place where they would spar. It seemed comfortable enough.

Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder at Cloud and smirked a little as he unsheathed his blade, turning to face the blonde. "Warm up and then we will see just how good you are, my little canary."

"I'm not little and I can swipe the grass with you still, so don't get cocky, old man," Cloud shot back and swiveled his blade. He wasn't actually sure how well he would do as his muscles did feel a bit stiff still. He could blame that on Sephiroth as well, especially if he lost.

XxXxXxXxX  
Cloud panted heavily as he stared at the ground, his shoulders heaving with effort, and he felt the sudden coolness of a blade press against his throat. He closed his eyes and dropped his blade from his hands, thoroughly exhausted from practicing with his lover, and his pride had been throughly beaten into submission.

He sighed heavily when the blade left his throat and looked up at Sephiroth standing over him. He had been beaten in every fight that they engaged in, his strength still returning to him and his coordination without the darkness to help him along. His muscles burned and it was made worse by the fact the he knew for certain that Sephiroth had been holding back on him, but there had been no mockery from his lover when he failed at even some of the simple things and made mistakes. He had been shocked when Sephiroth had encouraged him and even forced him to repeat his actions without mistake, and it was like old times of their sparring again.

Sephiroth walked over to Cloud kneeling on the ground and he slipped an arm around his lover's waist, hauling Cloud up and helping the younger man over to a fallen log to rest. He had to be patient with Cloud, more worried from his lover's state of being than worried about not getting a good fight from the younger man. Cloud was in no state to really be pushing too hard. "I think that is enough for today, Cloud. We've been out here for four hours. You're exhausted. Let's go back inside and you can have a nap and some lunch."

Cloud shook his head stubbornly, not about to give up on his sparring just yet. He needed this, needed to know just how bad he was after defeating his own darkness. He climbed back to his feet again, ignoring Sephiroth's warning look, and he walked back to the middle of the sparring field, grabbing the sword he had dropped after a particularly hard hit from Sephiroth. He gripped the sword in his hands and lifted it, setting his will and muscles against gravity and his eyes slipped over to Sephiroth. "Again," he ordered.

Sephiroth walked after Cloud, standing opposite to his lover, and he was pleased as much as he was worried about Cloud pushing himself. It was impressive to see, and it was surely the reason that Cloud had been so successful. "Alright, but this is the last one and then we go inside. You need to rest."

"Stop treating me like a child," Cloud snapped in return, gripping his blade tighter. He had to be back to top shape before returning to the palace.

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow and slipped into his defensive stance, blade extended towards Cloud. "You know I'm not doing this to punish you. The last thing I need is for you to collapse from exhaustion, so stop pushing yourself to be the hero so much."

Cloud had never thought of himself as the hero, just a soldier looking to defend the kingdom he had been born and raised in. However, he did suppose that he was a hero, but that didn't mean that he was doing all of this for the glory and praise of the people he served. He just didn't want to be considered weak by anyone, not even Sephiroth. It was quite sad, but it was something that he felt he needed to do after so many years of being just weak little boy.

Sephiroth lowered his guard a bit, making note that Cloud was not attacking and was struggling to hold such a large sword up. Sometimes having a very stubborn lover didn't have benefits. He sighed heavily and nearly walked over to Cloud again, to convince his lover that it was best for them to have a rest for a few hours. "Cloud, let's get you something to eat and some rest. We can try again this evening, if you so insist."

Cloud only shook his head to Sephiroth's words and forced his stance to be offensive a second before he charged Sephiroth. He swung in a diagonal slash, gritting his teeth when his blade was parried, but he immediately drew back for a horizontal slash at the older man's midsection. Again his blade was parried and Sephiroth shoved his blade back. He stumbled only a little, his steps awkward in their exhaustion. He huffed in frustration and reached back to the gentle warmth of the planet for comfort, and it reached to him in return, warming his mind and assuring him.

He set his shoulders again and took a step to his left, watching as Sephiroth countered his step with a one to the right. He circled the older man slowly, looking for weakness in Sephiroth's stance and drawing back on memories of their previous fights. He pivoted on the ball of his left foot and suddenly launched forward in an attempt the impale Sephiroth on his sword, immediately slashing to the right since that as where Sephiroth side-stepped to.

Sephiroth lifted his sword and parried the slash, quickly counter-attacking with a slash of his own. He noted that Cloud was slightly better balanced for this round of sparring and the attacks against him were much more dangerous. Second wind, possibly? He didn't have time to contemplate before he was under attack again, dashing back a few steps and parrying the three slashes aimed in his direction. He immediately countered, impressed that Cloud held ground for the first time in their spars.

Cloud hopped out of the way of Sephiroth's blade, slipping behind his own massive chunk of metal to protect himself. His arms shuddered at the force of Sephiroth's swing, and he knew that he would drop his sword soon. He needed one hit, one hit in all of their spars to satisfy himself that he would and could get better with the return of his strength. That's all he was asking for... one good hit on Sephiroth.

He drew the sword up again in front of his body, picking a location that he determined he would aim for, the chest. He summoned up the last of his energy, and he put all of his concentration into aiming perfectly, judging for movement in one direction or the other. He would hit, needed this more than anything now. He pushed off with his right foot and stabbed forward with all of his strength, feeling a warmth on his back that was definitely not just the sun.

Sephiroth shifted his sword and watched Cloud attack him, and it was plainly obvious that this was all his lover had left. He shifted his weight, preparing to simply step to his right and out of the attacks range with a simple flap of his wing, but he was stopped dead when he felt tendrils of green wrap around his wrists. His eyes widened in surprise at the flickering appearance of wings on Cloud's back and opened his mouth to order the blonde to stop the attack.

Cloud shifted his weight to the side to make the pass since Sephiroth was shifting but not moving fast enough to get away from his blade, slamming the massive flat side of the blade into Sephiroth's chest. He felt the older man's body shudder under the force of his blow as he made his pass, drawing the blade along with him until he skidded to a halt a few feet after Sephiroth.

Turning to regard the older man, he blinked at the sight of fading energy tendrils of the planet and immediately dropped his sword. Despite his lack of energy, he made it back to Sephiroth's side in time to have the older man drop all weight into his arms, and he collapsed down to the ground in a heap under Sephiroth's weight. He grunted under the weight, but managed to murmur, "are you alright?" He half-feared he had accidentally drained Sephiroth's life force.

"Cheater..." Sephiroth shot back, but he didn't entirely mind the ache in his ribs. While Cloud had definitely not pulled the attack, he was more amused by the fact that the blonde had resorted to using the planet's energy. He reached back and tangled his fingers into his lover's golden hair, not ready to get up just yet, and it didn't appear that he was hurting Cloud at all. "Had I known you would have resorted to dirty tactics, I would have been less gentle with you."

Cloud leaned his head into the hand stroking his hair, letting out a soft groan. "I didn't mean to use my other powers, but I really wanted to hit you... I must have just tapped into it." He shifted over a little so that he could press his cheek against Sephiroth's shoulder blade. "Forgive me, though?"

Sephiroth glanced down at Cloud and smirked a little, giving his lover a suggestive look. "Maybe after tonight I'll forgive you," was his reply.

Cloud blinked, a little confused and not entirely picking up on the look. "What are we doing tonight?"

"Eating, I'm sure. Then I will tuck you into bed and tie your wrists down and have my way with you," Sephiroth said casually, but the look that took over Cloud's features was an amusing one. He chuckled and rolled off of Cloud, looking down at the now forming bruise on his left side. Running a gentle hand over the tender wound, he glanced at his lover who was slinking over. It was very obvious that Cloud didn't mean to actually cause him such an injury. "We should head back inside, canary."

"Alright," Cloud said and climbed to his feet before helping Sephiroth up. He picked up both his sword and the Masamune, watching Sephiroth test the wound. He could heal it again, but when he reached out to do so, Sephiroth simply grabbed him and pulled him close. "I should heal your wound," he protested softly.

Sephiroth chuckled and began to direct them back towards the cabin, not concerned about his wound in the least. "Save your energy, Cloud. I could heal myself if I needed to, but I don't need you more tired that you already are."

Cloud pouted a little, but he kept up with Sephiroth anyway, more because the older man's hold on him forced him to. "I'll be alright," he said stubbornly, making the attempt to stand more on his own. He managed it for a few meters before he was once again forced to lean on Sephiroth's weight. Obviously, he had used too much energy just trying to prove himself again in the fighting area.

Sephiroth felt a smirk tug at his lips as he continued to walk, an arm wrapped around his lover's waist as the cabin came into sight through the trees. He half-carried Cloud along to the cabin and urged his lover inside right away. He took their swords and ordered Cloud to go lie down. He knew Cloud was very tired since the blonde put up no words of protest against his order, and he simply put their swords away before returning to his lover's side again. "Are you hungry?"

Cloud opened his eyes to regard Sephiroth leaning over him and silently shook his head to the thought of food. He was in the mood to just dropping off into sleep for a few hours. "Sit with me," he asked softly. He smiled a little when Sephiroth did sit beside him and allowed his eyes to close again, sighing at the feel of fingers smoothing down his hair.

"Sleep, my canary," Sephiroth said softly, hoping to convince the blonde to have a nap. It must have been trying on Cloud to have to be so energetic.

Sighing softly, Cloud nestled into the pillow under his head and turned his face towards Sephiroth's hand, silently hoping to be soothed into sleeping. The older man was good about picking up his subtle hint, and he smiled sleepily when a large hand caressed his face and neck. It wasn't long before sleep was irresistible, and he slipped away from the world of the wakeful.

XxXxXxXxX  
Panic tripped over a tree root and fell flat, letting out a small groan. It picked itself back up and looked over to where Pain was equally trudging through the forest back to where they both thought the cabin was. Of course, they had thought the cabin was in many directions and had found themselves wandering around the woods for a few days. Panic wasn't worried, since there were enough squirrels and frogs in the forest to keep both itself and Pain full for months. Heck, it probably didn't even need to eat.

"Panic... I feel fat! Have I gained weight?" Pain waddled up beside Panic and pointed at the pot-belly it carried.

Panic investigated the state of its friend and thought for a moment. "Hmmm...nope, still the same weight you were before we left."

"Okay," Pain chimed, thoroughly satisfied. "Are we there yet?"

"No... not yet," Panic replied.

Pain nodded and trudged a few more paces before looking around for any sign of the cabin. How they had managed to find it the first time was confusing, but they had obviously made it. It wandered around until tripping over a root much like Panic did moments before. "Ah, ah, Panic, I've fallen and I can't right myself!"

"Do you want me to roll you the rest of the way," Panic inquired as it approached its fallen friend. After a brief investigation, the green demon stared down at the maroon one, waiting for an answer.

Pain thought for a moment while grabbing onto its thin tail. It was never very good at making these split second decisions that could mean life or death! "Um... I'll take number D, please."

Panic held up its green hand and counted on its fingers. "One, two, three, four, D...?" Thinking for a moment, it simply shrugged and grinning toothily. "Okay, I'll just roll you then and you can squeal like Hades cross-dressing."

They both froze before shuddering at that memory.

"I'll keep a look out for the cabin," Pain announced when Panic began to roll it along the path. The maroon demon made small pained noises when it hit rocks and tree stumps, but it continued to keep a look out for any sign of a cabin. There was blue one way, brown another, and green the other two ways, but no cabin. A few rolls and the maroon demon was a little dizzy, so it couldn't protest the fact that there was a rather large hill coming up.

Panic paused at the hill and scratched its head. There was not much pause before the green demon just shoved Pain off and watched the maroon demon hit every bump on the way down before continuing on to crash through bushes. It snickered at the pained yelps and cries for help and trudged down after Pain. "Did you find the cabin?"

Pain eventually stopped rolling after hitting something rather bush-like and full of thorns. Looking around, it could see no cabin. "Uh... not yet! I'm still looking," Pain called back to Panic before managing to right itself and wander out of the bushes with branches and thorns sticking out every which way. Its eyes caught on something nearby, a path. "I found a path!"

Panic caught up to Pain and brushed off some of the bush branches, looking at the path that Pain was pointing at. "Weren't we already on a path when I pushed you down the hill?"

"Uh...I smell salt?"

Panic blinked and looked around, sniffing the air and also smelling salt. That meant they were close to the sea where Cloud liked to sit. They had to be getting close then! "Okay, here's the plan. We keep walking on the path until we find the cliff that overlooks the sea. We don't walk off the cliff, but we find that other path that went back to the cabin! Got it?"

Pain looked a little confused for a moment before just grinning and nodding its head. The maroon demon turned around and waddled down the path, looking for the sea but trying not to fall into it. It stopped when something suspiciously looking like a cabin was on the outside of the plan that they were traveling along, and Pain looked back at Panic who had taken up singing happy songs of the good ol' days in the Underworld.

Panic ran into Pain, bowling the other demon over and sending them both to the ground. It chuckled nervously and climbed to its feet again, looking down at Pain. "How come you stopped? Did you see the sea?"

"No... but I found a cabin," Pain announced as it rolled back to its feet and dusted itself off again. The maroon demon pointed towards the cabin in question and looked at Panic. "That's the one, right?"

Panic wandered closer to the cabin and stared at it for several moments, trying to find out distinctive features that would point out if this was indeed the right cabin. "Well... that moss looks quite similar. I think that window was right there too..." It walked to the door and poked it. "Hmm, the wood feels the same too. I guess we made it!"

"Yay, now I won't be so cold at night," Pain chimed and walked up to the door, looking way up at the handle that was completely out of reach. "Um... do we knock again? I can't reach the handle..."

Panic shoved on the door, but it didn't budge from its closed position, and the green demon looked at Pain with keen eyes. "I've got an idea. Let's do what Hades does when he wants us to open doors! That will work!"

Pain looked confused and a little worried. "You're going to kick me?"

"No, no, you can kick me. That way I'll get to the door knob and open it, and you can run in to announce our return. It will be... like a surprise!" Panic grinned.

"I like surprises," Pain said and walked a few feet away from Panic who followed a certain distance and stopped. "Okay, I'll kick you, and you get the door." Taking a rather large fast waddle, Pain sort of ran into Panic and sent the other demon flying with its sheer bulk, and there was no chance of stopping its forward momentum, so it just kept going forward, hoping the door would open in time.

Panic yelped when it was sent flying through the air and hit the door, latching onto the door handle and twisting with as much vigor as it could possibly muster. There was a click of the door and, when Pain ran into it, the door opened wide. Panic lost its grip and fell down onto the floor, managing to sit up to yell, "surprise!"

Cloud let out a shocked cry and nearly fell right out of bed to the floor, but he managed to catch himself with Sephiroth's help. Without thinking about it, he grabbed the blankets and pulled them over his and Sephiroth's nude forms, lying down over his lover in an attempt to cover up just what activity they were doing. He quickly slipped off of straddling his lover and just resorted to lying beside, and he noted that Sephiroth carried the look between shocked and ready to kill.

He quickly wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's neck to draw the older man's attention back to him. After, he tried to make it look like he wasn't panting or sweating, then looked at the newly arrived Pain and Panic. "Pain, Panic, you made it back!"

Sephiroth ground his teeth together in aggravation. What serious harm would it do to just kill both of those demons? "You could have knocked," he growled out and wrapped his arms around Cloud's waist. Stopped just when it was getting to the best part. He glanced down at Cloud and smirked a little before his attention shifted to Pain and Panic collecting themselves at the door. "Can you wait another ten minutes outside?"

Cloud blinked and protested with, "it doesn't take you that long to..."

"Foreplay, canary, foreplay," Sephiroth hissed out and slapped Cloud's backside to keep the blonde silent. He then looked back at the two demons who obviously had no clue about anything important.

Panic dusted itself off and looked at the two men, grinning toothily. The little green demon help Pain up again and asked, "what were you guys doing?"

"Playing a game," Sephiroth replied smoothly, no hint of a lie. When Cloud looked ready to protest about his lying, he muttered softly, "you can put that mouth to better use anytime." He got a hard slap for that one and groaned when Cloud began to pull away from him. His lover was obviously not in the mood for sexual banter and was more for taking his words for face-value, meaning Cloud had lost the mood completely. There were days where killing the interruption would be the easiest course.

Pain had trouble standing up, wheezing and coughing in exhaustion from that small running. It leaned on Panic for support and gasped for breath, looking over at the tense pair. Obviously Sephiroth had won the game they had been playing because Cloud looked a little mad. "Can we play in your game?"

Sephiroth snickered a little and sat up fully, stretching out his wing before folding it against his shoulder again. "No, it's a game only Cloud and I can play," he said and reached out to take Cloud back into his arms to silently apologize for his comment.

Cloud swatted Sephiroth's hands away and shifted further from the silver-haired man, working his way down to the end of the bed. Once there, he stretched and rolled his shoulders a bit, finding the place where his pants had been tossed. He grabbed them and climbed into the material again, looking over at Pain and Panic. "You two look cold. Did you make it to the palace?"

Panic shut the door when there was no order to wait outside again, and it bounded over to where the bed was, mindless of the tension between the two lovers. "We found the palace, alright. Aerith is such a nice lady, and she showed us all around to the neat places to explore in the palace. When we left, she said that everything was prepared for you guys to come back."

Pain sat on the floor looking a little pathetic, trying to get Sephiroth's attention for a hand up on the bed, but the silver-haired man was steadily ignoring it. "We had to sleep outside in the woods! We couldn't find the cabin, so I slept with toads and ate squirrels. I was cold..."

Cloud looked down at Pain and blinked. "Toads are cold-blooded... why didn't you sleep with the squirrels and eat the toads?"

"...I never thought of it like that," Pain admitted, and it grinned at Sephiroth's soft groan. Hades made that noise a lot when they completed missions.

Sephiroth just shook his head, feeling a headache coming on with such stupidity. Still, his eyes were mostly trained on Cloud who was giving him the cold shoulder for the moment, but he planned to change that. "When should we head back then, Cloud?"

Cloud didn't even look back at Sephiroth as he answered with, "the sooner the better."

Sephiroth sighed heavily and knew that he would have to do more than just talk casually to get Cloud to return to him. That was rather frustrating given the good time they had been having before the useless demons showed up and ruined everything, as usual. "Pain and Panic... since you two are cold, why not go for a nap on your blanket? Cloud and I have much to discuss about when we will be going back to the palace... among other things."

Pain looked at Panic and likewise, a big grin appearing on both of their faces at this new job. In complete unison, they both chimed, "okay," and took off to their corner, nearly colliding with each other in an effort to out do one another. The wall made quick work of that as they slammed into it, falling over. They both groaned in unison and fell unconscious in unison.

"...their stupidity never ceases to amaze me," Sephiroth said as he rubbed his forehead, gaze fixing on the only conscious occupant and the one he wanted closer. "Cloud, come back up here."

"No," Cloud replied and climbed to his feet. He was mad about the comment and embarrassed about nearly getting caught by Pain and Panic. He walked a few paces before he was forced to stop at the feel of Sephiroth directly behind him, the older man obviously having teleported over to him. "Don't even think about it..."

"Too late," Sephiroth muttered as he wrapped his arms around Cloud's waist, pulling the blonde close even as Cloud put up a mild struggle. "Come back to bed, Cloud. You know I meant no real harm by my comment. I was simply trying to get you to be quiet long enough so that I could ease your embarrassment about nearly getting caught because I know you were." He slowly leaned back before taking his first step towards the bed again, finding Cloud refusing to follow. "Canary... there is no need to fume like you are. I apologize for the comment." Again, he took a step back, smirking in triumph when Cloud took a step back with him.

He looked over at the two demons snoring loudly and set his hands on the younger man's waist, easing the pants down from Cloud's hips. Before the blonde could protest, he swept Cloud into his arms and walked back to the bed, tucking his fuming lover under the covers before following himself. "Now... where were we?"

Cloud pouted at Sephiroth, but he slipped close and curled up at the older man's side. "I believe we were about to talk about when we were going back to the palace."

"...that can wait. I can't," Sephiroth replied simply and pinned Cloud down to the bed, smirking arrogantly. He leaned down for a kiss and was pleased when Cloud gave him a hesitant one. "They won't wake up, canary," he assured and urged his lover's legs apart with a thigh, settling himself comfortably.

Cloud glanced over to where Pain and Panic appeared to be sleeping then up at Sephiroth who was giving him a very lustful look. He sighed softly and leaned up to kiss Sephiroth affectionately on the lips, and that was all the incentive his lover needed to get things going again.

XxXxXxXxX  
The return to the palace of Hollow Bastion was not loud or in celebration. Cloud passed the town and gates of the palace with relatively no spotlight cast on him, except for a few children that promised that they would grow up to be just like him. It was a return that he wanted, no parties, no screaming people cheering him, no sudden idolization of what he could do being the planet's strong heart.

Cloud had somehow managed to dig up one of his old uniforms to wear back to the normal court, not about to walk around in a sheet anymore. His armour was a little uncomfortable, more for the weight that he was no longer used to carrying around on a constant basis, but he accepted it as required for his return. The only real different feature was his long silvery blonde hair that was allowed to cascade freely down his back, unable to figure out the logistics of braiding before Sephiroth had insisted that they leave.

He stopped at the entrance way to stare up at the massive castle, the planet murmuring softly in the back of his mind how clean the place felt. He closed his eyes a moment and enjoyed the feeling of light everywhere, like a warm blanket that covered the planet that he was to protect for all time. It was the perfect return, and the light breeze held a wonderful whisper on it of his adoptive-daughter's approach.

He didn't need to open his eyes to know her life force before him. He knew she was standing in the doorway watching him, and he sensed the shift of her delicate arms to better clutch the basket of flowers that she held. His lips twitched upwards at the corners. "Lilies, Aerith?"

"You're not even looking..."

"I don't have to," Cloud replied and finally opening his eyes, looking at the brunette a moment. He stepped towards her at the same time that she walked to him, and he wrapped an arm around her without hesitation for the first time in what seemed like years to him. It solidified that his struggle had come to an end. "Thank you for taking care of things while I have been away."

Aerith smiled warmly and hugged the blonde tightly. "You feel so warm now. I'm so glad," she said softly. She pulled back a little and stared up into Cloud's blue eyes. "You should be thanking Leon for taking care of things. He has done well and reorganized everything while you were away."

Cloud nodded his head and finally glanced to the side when he felt Sephiroth step back, about to retreat to let him have this moment. He cleared his throat and gestured back with his chin. "Aerith... you remember the General Sephiroth, don't you?"

Aerith peered around her adoptive father's arm to the silver haired man standing back, and she giggled softly when she found Cloud being leveled with a glare. "I remember," she said softly and looked between the pair. "It seems you two have found your lights. I'm very glad for that... but I knew you two couldn't be lost in the darkness forever. You would have found each other eventually."

"Aerith..." Cloud said and scratched the back of his head nervously. It wasn't that easy to tell what they were to one another, was it? He supposed Pain and Panic weren't the most perceptive enough to be a real basis for comparison. "It... was just recent..."

"Awww, father is growing up..." Aerith teased playfully, and she laughed at the sight of Sephiroth's half-hidden smirk.

Cloud didn't look impressed. "Aerith..."

"And here I thought you would smile again, but it appears no luck yet." Aerith reached out and patted Cloud's cheek affectionately, planting a quick kiss on the other. He was looking so much better, and she supposed she owed Sephiroth for bringing Cloud back again.

"Who is the ruler of this place now that Ansem is gone?" Sephiroth didn't entirely want to interrupt the moment between Cloud and the little one that the blonde had adopted. Still, it would be a waste if nothing actually got done, and the beginning of the day had been tiring and was making him irritable. "And what is the status of the Royal Guards?"

Aerith peered around Cloud's arm again then glanced up at the blonde. "No one rules Hollow Bastion yet, but we have come up with a few select choices for the job." She smiled mysteriously. "The Royal Guards are with their families. None of them have been called back to duty, though... some have come to inquire about Cloud."

Cloud watched Aerith then looked back at Sephiroth, sensing the brunette's thoughts. "You will rule Hollow Bastion, Sephiroth."

"Pardon?"

"You heard me," Cloud said and flipped back a strand of long hair and turned back to Aerith as if the matter was settled and no more issues would arise from it. "You are still royalty, so you will rule."

Sephiroth appeared next to Cloud in a flash, staring down at his lover with an distrusting eye. He looked to the little girl who was simply smiling innocently at him. Were these two conspiring against him within the first five minutes of being together? He should have known Cloud would do something like this. "No one will trust me in such a position of power."

"Yes they will," Aerith slipped in and continued to smile. "You have Cloud's trust, and you are the strong heart's light. You cannot go astray again."

"But..." Sephiroth started.

"She's right," Cloud interrupted and waved a dismissive hand at Sephiroth. He knew the older man could handle the duty, and he sensed that Sephiroth wanted it to prove himself again. "You're position of power will be backed by me, so there will be no problems for the people. Besides... the planet guards your heart."

Sephiroth stood silently processing what Cloud was saying to him, glancing between the two shorter people. He suddenly realized with a mental push of the planet that he really had no choice in this matter. He was outmatched not only by a girl and the planet, but his lover was going to insist. He got the feeling that Cloud would be stubborn about it as well, but he could be just as stubborn. "Cloud no..."

"Yes," Cloud replied.

"No."

"Yes."

"No..."

"Yes," Cloud said and gave Sephiroth a glare. He lifted a hand and a spark of green wisps surrounded his fingers before lashing around and curling around the older man's legs, jerking Sephiroth upside down in front of him. He tilted his head to the side and an arrogant smirk pulled over his lips. "And that is final... Lord of Hollow Bastion."

"Why do I put up with you again," Sephiroth asked dryly. He was not pleased about hanging upside-down and crossed his arms over his chest to state this silently.

Cloud said nothing more and set Sephiroth down again before turning to Aerith and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, looking up at the bright blue sky. He smiled his first real smile in years and felt the planet smile back to him. "It's a wonderful day to start again..."

XxXxXxXxX  
FINALLY FINISHED! Yeah yeah, it took me like... two years to get this finished, but I appear to have had to put it down to get the last chapter out successfully. I'm so glad to have it done, and I thank everyone that has kept up with my story. I hope that you have enjoyed it, and I look forward to writing for anyone willing to read again.


End file.
